the video iPod and the iTunes community

The video iPod was foreseeable, here's what I wrote (elsewhere) in March 2005:

iTunes Video Store

I wondered why Apple put trailers inside of iTunes.

But I have figured it out.
Apple is building the platform for selling video downloads the same way they sell music downloads.

Why do they host trailers on their site at all?
Hmm, sort of a daily infrastructure test...

Why video inside iTunes?  iTunes is crossplatform... sales platform...

Steve has said that portable video (the "iPod Video") doesn't make sense. (There is already portable Mac video, it's called an iBook or PowerBook.) But downloading video to your desktop... or say the Mac Mini... Send the video over wireless to your TV like they do with the AirPort Express audio thing...

Notice how every time Steve does a talk he goes on and on about some new video thing the Mac can do? I thought he was wearing his Pixar hat, but he's actually building the Mac video infrastructure.

The man's a genius.

I still think video on the iPod is really the least important bit of the whole thing.
There's still the device challenge which they haven't overcome: we want devices to be as small as possible, but we want displays to be as big as possible, and interfaces to be a reasonable size.
I had thought they might at least do a 16:9 wide-angle display by turning the display sideways on the iPod and having a much smaller control area.

Plus which, mobile video seems a bit dubious to me.  The only time I use it is when I watch stuff on my laptop on airplanes.

This is the most interesting video part to me, which I haven't seen widely mentioned:

purchase ad-free episodes of your favorite ABC or Disney television shows and watch them on the go.

Here's what it says on the iTunes Videos page

Easy As It Looks

The virtual shelves of the iTunes Music Store now feature a video section. Music videos, Pixar shorts and select ABC and Disney television shows live right alongside songs, podcasts and audiobooks. Browse featured listings or search the archive to find just what you want, then click to buy. Once you do, you get stutter-free, ad-free video delivered directly to your desktop. From there, the sky’s the limit, because you own purchased video forever. Watch as many times as you choose, share between five computers, burn to data CDs or sync to the new iPod. Instant gratification never looked better. ...

TV Star

In addition to music videos, the iTunes Music Store also features select Disney and ABC television shows, ready to download. For $1.99, you can own the latest episode just one day after it airs. With full seasons of “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives” and “That’s So Raven,” plus episodes of new shows like “Night Stalker” and “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” at your fingertips, you’ll never miss your favorites. Plus, you can sync shows to the new iPod and watch them on the go.

I strongly agree with Steve's "people want to own, not rent" model.
However, it's worth pointing out... this is the opposite model from the library model.

In any case, while the video is big news, there are also other developments that are just as important.
They are making iTunes into a community:

Send songs, albums, playlists, even music videos and TV episodes to anyone with an email address. ...

Get personalized recommendations, courtesy of the iTunes user community and a host of in-house music experts. Hear what's in store for you. ...

Post your own customer reviews and ratings, and read what over 10 million iTunes users worldwide have to say about what's playing on iTunes.

from iTunes - Download

Building communities is where the web action is.  You have to give people a reason to come to your site.

(No TV downloads available from the Canadian store yet.  The videos are all 320x240.  This posting is a bit of a cross-post.)