Don’t you hate reading or seeing a great new announcement from Apple only to find out it won’t be available in Canada? For example:
- iPhone
- HD movie rentals
- 2 GB iPod Shuffle
I’m particularly ticked about the HD movie rentals via iTunes. Really, how different can a licensing agreement be in Canada that the minions in Markham, Ontario can’t call up the yesmen at the North York, Ontario studio offices to play the Canadian version of Let’s Make a Deal?
Nonetheless, Microsoft announced the other day the XBOX 360 has teamed up with Paramount to offer movie rentals via the XBOX Live Marketplace. As of yesterday, both new releases and titles from their catalogue will be available in both standard def and high def.
Warner Bros will also be adding titles to the Marketplace meaning popular movies like Transformers and the Harry Potter series will be available.
This is a great opportunity for Microsoft to win over the fence sitters. Parents whose children are bugging them to buy a console, those who can’t decide between the three consoles and those who were just looking for one more reason to before they bought.
Of course the don’t make it easy to understand. Standard def movies can be had for a mere 300 Microsoft Points and high def for only 440. What? Yo – put a dollar figure on those bad boys. You just turned off a whole bunch of people.
