After dropping the biggest iPhone 5 hint so far, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer also managed to ignite more speculation about the future of iTunes during the company’s quarterly earnings call. The Apple exec suggested we could see some major changes in the wake of iCloud.
Oppenheimer’s comment was in response to a query about the availability of movies on iTunes which is dwarfed in the US by Netflix. His response, though understandably limited, has been seized upon by some observers as a clue that iCloud movie streaming could be coming soon…
Grilled by Brian Marshall, an analyst with Gleacher & Company, about the movie selection on iTunes, Oppenheimer responded:
“We have a very, very broad library of movies and TV shows, particularly here in the US. We add more content internationally each quarter. Look for more content coming this quarter across the various stores. We have some neat stuff coming.“
While that could simply mean Oppenheimer is excited about some big new movies headed for the iTunes Store, several reports over the past two years have suggested that Apple is attempting to hammer out streaming deals with the movie studios.
Apple revealed the iTunes Match music component of iCloud at WWDC but CNET reported that in-depth talks with the film industry were ongoing prior to that event.
iCloud does not officially launch in the US until the autumn. That’s fueled speculation that movie streaming could arrive as a “one more thing” inclusion at a future Apple event to further sweeten the deal.
However, just as iTunes Match is limited to the US for the time being, if Apple were to nail down deals with the movie studios it’s likely that the UK would have to wait. As our Apple TV review lamented, the UK is definitely the poor relation when it comes to streaming services.
Hit the comments and tell us: do you think Apple will bring movie streaming to iCloud soon? What other changes to iTunes do you want Apple to make?
Out TBC | £TBC | Apple (via AppleInsider)
