(AP) -- Apple Inc. said Thursday that new movies from a slate of major studios will now be available for purchase over iTunes the same day they're released on DVD.
The change will beef up the number of new titles available in the iTunes online store and help the service compete better against DVD retailers.
Until this week, many of the movies available for purchase over iTunes were older releases.
Newer releases have been available for rental through iTunes, but users typically have to wait 30 days after the DVD release to get their hands on those films, and the titles disappear from their libraries once they're finished watching.
Apple's announcement Thursday did not include any change to the rental policies.
The push by the Cupertino-based company to get people to order movies over iTunes reflects its success with the store and its desire to control more of the user's digital entertainment experience. Key to that campaign are the Apple TV set-top boxes, which Apple hopes will cement the company more in consumers' living rooms by streaming videos and other content from users' computers to their television sets.
Apple said the new releases available this week for purchase over iTunes to coincide with their DVD release include "American Gangster" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Other new titles Apple has added to the store include "Juno," "Cloverfield," "I Am Legend," and "There Will Be Blood."
The participating major studios are 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. and Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
New releases cost $14.99 to buy. Older titles cost $9.99.
©2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Related stories:
Microsoft, chasing Apple, adds TV shows to Zune Marketplace
(AP) -- Microsoft Corp. said late Monday it will now sell TV shows, including popular NBC series, on the Zune Marketplace, a move that brings its selection of content for the digital media player a step closer to what Apple Inc.'s iTunes offers for Apple's much more popular iPod.
Cable, satellite and ... Sezmi? Startup wants in on pay TV
(AP) -- A startup is betting that people are tired enough of their cable and satellite bills to take a look at an alternative pay TV system that combines a number of different technologies to deliver programming.
Marketplace drama: The 7-year war on downloading in 4 acts
A fascinating new paper from the Journal of Consumer Research investigates the seven-year war on music downloading that unfolded among corporate music executives and music downloaders. Markus Giesler (York University) uses a performance-ethnography approach, studying the music marketplace as a cultural stage on which consumers and producers interact as dramatic players to reach their conflicting goals.
Apple Introduces New Xserve -- Most Powerful Apple Server Ever
Apple today introduced the new Xserve, a 1U rack-optimized server that is up to twice as fast as its predecessor and includes an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server Leopard.
Free Music Service to Compete with iTunes
Universal Music plans to launch a new mobile music service where all songs will be free, according to a recent article in BusinessWeek. To be called "Total Music," the concept would include iPod alternatives that come with free subscriptions to the online service, and would be free of ads.
Apple Goes One Better: iPod Touch 8GB & 16GB
The Apple iPod Touch incorporates the features of iPhone to create a sleek and slim, music, TV, Web access and drive-in movie with the convenience of portability. The iPod Touch is only 8 millimeters wide with an amazing 3.5 inch screen. The iPod Touch gives a whole new meaning to, letting your fingers do the walking.
NVIDIA Delivers First Modern Motherboard GPU to Intel-Based Desktops
The recent introduction of Microsoft Vista and a slew of other 3D-optimized applications, including Google Maps and Microsoft Office 2007, has redefined customers' expectations for experiencing visually-rich mainstream applications on their home and business PCs.
Nanotech could make solar energy as easy and cheap as growing grass
Scientists are working to produce cheap, sustainable solar energy by imitating nature. Nanotechnology researchers like California Institute of Technology professor Nate Lewis are exploring nanoscale materials that mimic the architecture of grass and photosynthesis to capture and store the sun’s energy.