Apple misses iTunes Movie Rentals goal

During the announcement of iTunes Movie Rentals in January, Apple said it hoped to offer 1,000 films by the end of February. According to a new report, it fell far short of that goal. AppleInsider reports that as of Monday, only 384 movies were available for rent through iTunes, less than 40% of Apple’s stated target. Only 91 films were available in HD, and out of those, 40 lacked Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. In addition, 21 titles came from the 1980’s and earlier, pre-dating modern filmmaking techniques which allow movies to see the greatest benefit from HD resolution and surround sound. This limited number of titles puts Apple at a disadvantage compared to competitors like Amazon’s Unbox and Netflix’s streaming service, which currently offer 10,440 and 5,000 titles, respectively.