The Bottom Line
It was only a matter of time before Apple joined the online movie rental game. There’s a nice selection of movies available, but the price and the lengthy download time make renting from the iTunes store inconvenient.
Pros
- Big Selection: Hundreds of titles are available to rent, from new releases to classic films.
- Movie Portability: Rented movies can be watched on your computer, iPod or iPhone.
- Easy-to-Use: Renting movies from iTunes is just like using the iTunes store.
Cons
- The Long Wait: iTunes movie rentals download to your computer, so you wait hours before watching.
- Price Point: Movies rent for $2.99-$3.99, so you're not getting a deal.
Description
- Movie rentals can be downloaded from the iTunes store, just like songs or other purchases.
- Rented movies can be transferred to another computer or iPod.
- Movie rentals are automatically deleted 30 days after purchase or 24 hours after you start watching, whichever comes first.
Guide Review - Movie Rentals From iTunes
Renting a movie from Apple’s iTunes store is just like buying a movie, except that the rental will automatically disappear from your computer 30 days after you purchase it or 24 hours after you start watching it, whichever comes first. Just like other downloads from the iTunes store, you can watch your rented movie on your computer, iPod or through Apple TV.
If you’re interested in loading up your iPod with entertainment for a trip you’ll appreciate the ability to save the rented movies for a period of time. If, however, you’re just looking for something to watch on Friday night, you probably won’t want to wait the hours that it will take for a typical movie to download.
Movie rentals from iTunes aren’t prohibitively expensive—you’ll pay about what you would at a local video store. However, the cost and the downloading time make it almost not worth it.
