Movie-going declines

The introduction and subsequent popularity of the video iPod may be as we know it, according to one columnist at the Toronto Star. "I see this rite changing dramatically, and it saddens me. This might sound alarmist, and I wish it were simply that. But technological and cultural innovations of the past 12 months have pointed the way to a revolutionary future for the movies, one that few could have envisioned until recently. Watching a film is fast becoming a hermit's pursuit. For starters, there's the video-screen iPod, introduced this fall, which at the moment is being treated as a modest brand extension of Apple's portable jukebox gadget. Right now, early buyers are using it as a miniature VCR, for watching music videos and certain TV dramas downloaded from the Internet." The columnist says that future versions will help expand its poplarity and usefulness as a video-watching gadget.

"Few think of it as a device for viewing movies, because the screen is tiny and the battery power doesn't last much beyond 90 minutes. But if Apple holds true to form — and to Internet rumour — it will introduce a video iPod this coming year with a larger screen and longer battery life, making it much more feasible for owners to watch a feature-length film whenever and wherever they feel like it."

by MacNN Staff