I've pointed out that Apple's ability to negotiate with movie industry executives to be able to allow iTunes Music Store to carry videos will be key in Apple's plans to continue making the iPod the hippest media device around. Macminute points out an article that confirms that Lions Gate Entertainment has plans to offer movies through iTunes, as well as MovieLink and Cinema Now, and this will happen before the end of the year. At that point, will we see a name change? ITMS could go from iTunes Music Store to iTunes Media Store.

This places the iPod in a crucial place. The iPod is the storage center for an increasing ecosphere of iPod-enabled objects. From cars to computers to soon TVs, putting Apple at the top of pyramid of media devices. There is no resting on laurels here, the moment someone stops someone else can step up. We saw this happen when Apple snapped the lead away from Creative.

There are some less-than-positive pieces to this piece of good news for Apple. Unlike with the music offerings, Apple doesn't have exclusivity in its movie offerings, so customers will have a wide variety of services to choose to try. This works in the customers' favor, but Apple won't have the easy edge it snagged before. Secondly, Apple is supposedly choosing a rental approach for the movies.

I think the second issues will have the greatest impact. Are customers ready to pay but not get to keep the media around? Certainly in the past online customers haven't seemed too excited about the idea of this, can even Apple's hype change the average consumers mind? It will probably depend on the price.

Tobias Buckell is a freelance blogger, futurist, and author who grew up in the Caribbean. He owns shares in Apple.

Apple just cannot get any love from Europe at all, and the whole situation smacks to me of "farce." Recently, European regulators put their collective feet down on the notion that Apple must make its iPod music and video player work with other music services outside the iTunes music store. Hello -- the iPod can play the oldest format in the book, MP3. What I see here is that European governments (France) are being dictator-ish by telling a company what it can and cannot do with its products. If consumers love the product and there is no harm being done, what the heck do regulators have to do with it?

Well, now Scandinavia says that a Swedish law prohibits iTunes downloads from *only* being played on iPod units. What I don't get here is this: a company, say Apple, wants to make an integrated system of software and hardware that work great together for consumers, and the design locks out all other standards (pretty much) that would no doubt convolute the entire product relationship and, most likely, would create a very sub-optimal user experience.

This is why Apple keeps tight control over the "ecosystem" of its products -- in my opinion, to guarantee the best possible user experience. Judging by iPod sales and marketshare, there is probably no argument that says Apple has not created just that. Maybe Apple should just abandon sales in European countries that have such ridiculous laws? Nah -- too many sales lost probably.

Brian White has worked in various executive positions in technology and telecommunications and now focuses on editing and writing.