Apple has mysteriously, and without explanation, dropped one of the major features on the Apple TV… 99 Cent TV show rentals. According to AppleInsider, who spotted the change, the company has dropped the feature which was one of the major selling points for the launch of the revamped second generation Apple TV last year.
“The option to rent episodes of TV shows is no longer available on either the Apple TV, or when browsing content via Apple’s iTunes application. Previously, participating networks offered users the ability to rent a TV episode for 99 cents, with 30 days to begin watching and 48 hours to complete it….As further evidence that the ability to rent TV shows has been removed completely, an Apple support document entitled “iTunes Store: How to rent TV shows,” has been removed from the Web”
The removal may be related to the rumor which appeared earlier today which suggested that the company was considering a subscription on-demand model for streaming video. Additionally, the imminent launch of iCloud may have some impact upon this as it has been rumored that the new service will allow online storage and streaming of purchased video.
Given that Apple has offered no explanation, it seems like a really strange thing to happen. Normally the company will state why a certain service has been discontinued. Hopefully more information will appear soon.
Just Gone…