Filed under: iTS, Rumors, Software
iTunes to be rebranded as "Showtime?"
There might be more to the iTunes store being down than we originally thought. A little bird sent us a tip that belies the possibility that the 'Showtime' buzzword Apple's been using to promote their special event today could be the actual new name of the iTunes/Music/Movie Store and software. This link points to a phobos.apple.com/showtime page which echoes the same phrase we've been seeing elsewhere. Those phobos.apple links, if you haven't seen them before, are iTMS-specific links, allowing users to link directly to items inside the store. The fact that there's a /showtime/ after this one makes it all the more suspicious.Could this be a complete iTunes rebranding? Or Apple just covering their tracks by throwing off the scent?
Or this just might be a temporary thing for today, either way stay tuned.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Christian said 10:13AM on 9-12-2006
Probably the interim site was done using RapidWeaver which uses the same directory/filename structure ;-)
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nick said 10:14AM on 9-12-2006
Now it seems the store is just down...
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Justin said 10:16AM on 9-12-2006
Erm, isn't there, like, a premium cable network called Showtime? And wouldn't they frown upon this, just as Cinemax might? Or HBO? Or Starz?
Just sayin'.
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Tiob said 10:16AM on 9-12-2006
Aint gonna happen. There is tons of brand equity in the name iTunes.
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Brian Whitney said 10:16AM on 9-12-2006
I sincerely doubt they'd be able to use the moniker of "Showtime" because that would be a trademark infringement to the Cable Channel "Showtime" since they'd both deal in Movies...
Or am I wrong?
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kokernutz said 10:16AM on 9-12-2006
Wouldn't the cable channel FREAK out about it being called Showtime?
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Doug said 10:17AM on 9-12-2006
I would guess its temporary, as it would be confused with the pay cable channel of the same name.
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Ed said 10:18AM on 9-12-2006
Showtime doesn't fit with music at all...
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Nassim said 10:19AM on 9-12-2006
I recently entered apple.com/au/quicktime/win.html, and the iTunes & iPod tag, changed and just said "Switch". I follows this link: apple.com/au/switch. Check it out
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Ed said 10:19AM on 9-12-2006
That phobos link is down for me - 500 error.
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Brian Whitney said 10:19AM on 9-12-2006
I sincerely doubt they'd be able to use the moniker of "Showtime" because that would be a trademark infringement to the Cable Channel "Showtime" since they'd both deal in Movies...
Or am I wrong?
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Indiana said 10:21AM on 9-12-2006
I already thought about this. iTunes Music store might be then a part of an app called showtime. Why not? It woud just be consequent - and if apple is one thing it's consequent. (Microsoft isn't).
By the way we already know a famous player ending with -time, don't we? ; )
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Brett Thomason said 10:22AM on 9-12-2006
Yeah this can't happen because of the Cable Network, Apple wouldn't do that, and it's probably a law, but I do think they will change the name, iTunes Store sounds dumb, and sounds like just music.
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Indiana said 10:23AM on 9-12-2006
#8 Well thats true.
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Andy Lee said 10:24AM on 9-12-2006
The theory doesn't make sense, for the reasons other commenters have already pointed out. *Maybe* there's a *new* app called "Showtime," in the naming tradition of GarageBand and Front Row. But rebranding iTunes as "Showtime" doesn't make sense.
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Thomas said 10:26AM on 9-12-2006
Isn't Showtime a cable channel? I doubt Apple would get the rights to a movie store named Showtime too.
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ive said 10:26AM on 9-12-2006
The text reads: "The iTunes Store is being updated."
hmmm, i remember it as: iTunes MUSIC Store....
that's all...
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K28 said 10:32AM on 9-12-2006
I thinking it more rebrand of quicktime since it end with "time" and also "movie" relate?
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Rae said 10:36AM on 9-12-2006
#17 - Hi. Welcome to two TUAW posts ago.
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Geraint Jones said 10:37AM on 9-12-2006
It might be a sub software, seperate from iTunes.
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