Filed under: Macworld, Humor, Apple TV
iTunes HD rentals: price discrimination against men
So what is it with the "guy tax" that Apple has added to its Apple TV rentals? You know what I mean. Rentals are $3.99 for women, $4.99 for men. See? Look at the picture. Because few women (other than our Christina) are going to look at that pricing structure and say "Oh wow, honey. Let's pay a dollar more so that we can enjoy the romance and relationships with better pixel counts."
No, we women are going to say (except for Christina and a few others of her technical prowess) "What a rip!" and buy the SD version while our better halves explain in excruciating detail exactly why they bought that 1080p TV equipment in the first place, which we will ignore and still rent the cheaper version. And why? Because relationships are rarely improved by higher definition. In fact, it's the soft fuzziness (and lower cost) that keeps relationships mysterious and desirable. Especially in the morning before teeth are brushed.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
AaronS said 6:05PM on 1-15-2008
Well, really 720p, because that's what the AppleTV supports. Not 1080P. Details ;)
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Ed said 9:51PM on 1-15-2008
What, you don't have a dedicated mac pro sitting next to your tv?
(just kidding, if i could afford that there would be better things to buy, like an AirBook.)
123crazygonuts said 6:10PM on 1-15-2008
What? I'm the spouse that pushed us to move over to HD! (I'm also the spouse who first got the iPhone, lives by her command line interface, and also networks everything that can possibly be connected via any possible protocol.) Signed, a wife.
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badtzmaru said 6:12PM on 1-15-2008
im a guy and to be honest i dont get this whole HD thing. its just stuff moving on a screen. do i really need it in 2600ix or whatever its called?
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c.Lake said 3:27AM on 1-19-2008
You CLEARLY have never seen a movie shot in high def, on a blu-ray player, displayed on a 52 inch 1080p. Because if you did -- you would NEVER say that.
Christina Warren said 6:13PM on 1-15-2008
Thanks for the shout-out E!
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lewis said 6:17PM on 1-15-2008
Why call it "iTunes HD Rentals?" - all evidence points to the HD rentals being AppleTV-only, not iTunes on actual computers.
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harrywolf said 6:18PM on 1-15-2008
Well, quite right. For just a buck we get HD? Count me in.
Of course, I also agree with Erica about necessary fuzziness in relationships.
We guys are known for our double standards, I believe.
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Fortis said 6:21PM on 1-15-2008
All I have to say to everyone is there are only two type of people, people who want to watch everything in HD, and people who haven't actually tried it yet. My wife thought there was no reason to watch stuff in HD, until we got one; yeah, she changed her mind. My brother claimed that 480p was just fine, until he watched a days worth of HD on my TV. Then all of a sudden he bought a HD projector.
I'll ignore the obviously sexist remarks of the poster (yes, I'm aware you're a woman), as if woman either don't like things that are more aesthetically pleasing, or that they don't have the ability to see in the detail that men do; both of which are simply silly.
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cmc said 6:31PM on 1-15-2008
I looked at it for what it was, a little joke post. No need to get hooked up on the "sexism" of it all when its only taking the piss.
Good post Erica :D
slaw_dawg said 6:32PM on 1-15-2008
Maybe the extra buck is for the price of the extra bandwidth that is used up by uploading the larger HD formatted video to your apple tv box? Just my 2 cents...
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Jobjörn said 6:35PM on 1-15-2008
I've seen a lot of crap posted on TUAW but this is probably the most retarded post ever. I don't know where you live, but at least in Sweden females can appreciate high-definition video and males can appreciate saving a few crowns.
Making headlines poking fun at gender discrimination is just as tasteless as making headlines poking fun at racism or any other structural discrimination. It is _not funny_, and defending it by saying one must be allowed to joke about structural discrimination is, too, just dumb. (Just a precaution.)
Please do not spam my RSS reader with crap like this ever again. Then you'll lose a subscription for sure.
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mannymix said 6:49PM on 1-15-2008
Wow, at least in the U.S. we can realize when someone is making a joke post to poke a little fun into it. While you and your "women" are admiring your HDTVs try getting a sense of humor, and realize that your "subscription" really means very little.
kthnx
karo said 6:55PM on 1-15-2008
Amen to that.
This is a dumb post. I know what you were going for, but you fumbled in the execution, and you came across as sexist or naive, depending on the reader, rather than witty or ironic. Leave tech humor to David Pogue, please.
moffettman said 9:26AM on 1-16-2008
wow, remind me never to visit Sweden.
Lighten up!
MC1171611 said 10:59PM on 1-15-2008
Good grief, lighten up! I guess you Europeans don't come with a Sense Of Humor pre-installed!
David said 6:36PM on 1-15-2008
Where did you see this? I don't seem to have rentals up yet even though I've upgraded my iTunes.
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Cycomachead said 6:37PM on 1-15-2008
I wonder if it's Apple or the the producers that want the buck, or in between.
I guess it makes sense tho: Blu-Ray and HDDVD cost way more...
Cheaper than blockbuster at any rate, however I wish you had 48 hours to watch movies or 72, or at least special features.
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ant said 6:40PM on 1-15-2008
Very funny! I do disagree though.. im a male. Ive watched hours of HD at friends places. Doesnt appeal to me. Dont care. So not in the early adoption camp with this (well i guess its not early adoption anymore but you know what i mean).
If i can see and hear it, its in regular stereo, and isnt pixelated its good enough.
But heres the kicker.... im a graphic designer - youd think id be the opposite.
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required said 6:41PM on 1-15-2008
I don't recall paying more to rent a DVD than I did for a VHS cassette. In other words I think this pricing is absurd and wonder if they'll throw in a discount for black and white rentals.
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