You can buy ‘Juno’ in iTunes – but why would you?


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That really is a question in the title there, and I’d love to get an answer from you if you think purchasing ‘Juno’ in iTunes is a good idea. Here’s the story…

The hit indy film ‘Juno’ was released on DVD and Blu-Ray yesterday. It is also available for purchase – not rent – in iTunes. It will cost you $14.99. You can buy ‘Juno’ in a variety of ways on a retail shelf (one might say too many ways). There is a single disk DVD of the movie for purchase at Wal-Mart and Amazon at a price of $15.99. So for $1 more than the iTunes copy you get the movie plus; Gag Take; Cast & Crew Jam; Screen Tests; “Inside Look: What Happens In Vegas”, Deleted Scenes, Director Commentary, Gag Reel, Writer Commentary.

Or for $22.99 you can get a 2-Disc DVD of the film plus a digital copy of the movie for iTunes.

For $27.99 you can get the film on Blu-Ray disk and STILL get the digital copy.

It really seems clear in this situation that you’re getting hammered in iTunes. $14.99? That’s absurd when you can buy the movie on DVD (with special features) for only $1 more. When you factor in that the deluxe DVD and Blu-Ray versions of the movie include iTunes compatible files…it really is a puzzler on why you would ever buy the thing in iTunes in the first place.

To me anyway.

What do you think? Is there a reason you would buy ‘Juno’ in iTunes instead of on DVD or Blu-Ray?


Kossi Adzo

Kossi Adzo is a technology enthusiast and digital strategist with a fervent passion for Apple products and the innovative technologies that orbit them. With a background in computer science and a decade of experience in app development and digital marketing, Kossi brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to the Apple Gazette team.

14 Comments

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  1. It really doesn’t make sense. Especially when the cost of packaging isn’t a factor. Less content and less packaging should mean cheaper price. A lot of the movies you can get in iTunes for $9.99, you can go to wal-mart and get for $5. (Although for me I’d pay the extra $5 not to go into wal-mart.)
    I think it should be $9.99 for New Releases and $4.99 for everything else.
    And ALL movies should be available to rent OR buy .

  2. The only real reason is space…

    I feel a twinge of pain everytime I buy a DVD because I then have an 8″x5″ plastic box to carry through my life. Eventually I think people will really come around to the idea (thanks Fight Club) that the things you own end up owning you. The solution is probably super fast broadband and not storing any media locally any more but in the meantime there are movies on iTunes.

    But yeah, you’re right – this is a rip-off, but it’s probably the movie industry trying to avoid doing the deal the record industry did with Apple, even if this is an indie flick.

  3. You are forgetting the convenience factor. I can purchase Juno from iTunes by clicking a button while sitting on my couch. And I can do it in under 60 seconds and be watching the film in under 10 minutes. From a marketing perspective, convenience is a huge differentiator and commands a premium price.

    If you want to see the the premium that convenience commands, go into any convenience store and compare the price you’ll pay for a can of soda, a package of cupcakes, a package of chips or a bottle of ice tea with the same products at a Supermarket.

    It’s a trade off. Some – perhaps most – will value the extras provided by purchasing the CD while others may value their time and lack of effort more.

  4. All my movies go into iTunes anyway, I’ve boxed and stored all my physical DVDs (after ripping them to itunes) and my living room has never looked better. So for $15 I can download the movie and the movie ends up where I want it. Or I can travel to one of several retail locations, spending money on gas and wasting my time trying to dodge idiots who seem to want to walk right into me to spend more money (at least $8 more if I want a digital copy) so I can then go home and put it into iTunes so I can stream it to my TV. Ok so I get some extras that I usually don’t watch unless I’m a HUGE fan of the movie, and even then I watch them once… I can go without the hassle thanks.

    I do agree that the movies should be a couple bucks cheaper though, maybe $12 for new releases, $5-8 for older titles.

  5. It really depends how you watch your movies. For example I store ALL my movies digitally. Its much easier. Think of it like music. Do you really want a shelf of hundreds of dvd’s? or just a hard drive with thousands? I’m mean sure its a better value to get the dvd. But if you are going to end up ripping it and tucking it away what’s the point?

    Lastly laziness is the ultimate key factor. Much easier to buy than get up.

  6. I could care less about the “extra” features! I only watch the movies!

    The physical DVD does not add any value over the iTunes purchase IMO.

    BluRay at $25-$30 a pop! I’ll wait for a couple of years for the price to come down on both the players and media! Or better yet, when iTunes comes in at 1080 then the price of BluRay HW will drop like a rock because it won’t matter!

    They had better sell as many BluRay players as they can ASAP because in a few years, buying physical media for a movie/music… will seem so… so… last century! I’ve already burned my old DVD’s into iTunes! AppleTV is great!

    TBM

  7. To me, I have a serious problem paying the same, or almost the same price, for less. No physical box art (whether you want it or not – it is an added cost that they no longer have when doing things digitally).

    I happen to like special features, so not getting any of those is a deal breaker for me at $1 less than the DVD.

    Plus, the convenience factor is non-existent to me. I mean, if you just HAVE to watch it right now, and its 3 am and you don’t want to leave the house, I can see renting the movie. I have no problem with that, but if this is something you want to purchase to watch over and over and keep forever, I don’t know why you wouldn’t order is online (where it could be at your home in a day or two) or get your lazy butt of the couch and drive to the freakin’ store.

    You know, there’s nothing wrong with actually leaving the house. 😛

    Now if you flat out don’t want the special features, and you don’t want a physical disk in your home, then fine, I can see why you would be all for purchasing a movie from iTunes. I get that – but at these prices its a rip-off, and I can’t stand letting a company rip me off.

    I’m sure movie studios are the ones that have set the price here – but to me, it seems like they’re setting digital downloads up to fail with prices like these.

  8. I’ve got a novel idea.. Why don’t you add Juno to your Netflix list, get it in the mail a few days later, and import the entire movie with any extra content you want into your itunes library using the free program HandBake (check google) for FREE????? That sounds like a plan to me. For $12.99/month, you can have 3-at-a-time unlimited rentals and you can just import everything you want. No need to say thank you!

  9. @macdude

    hmm…first, I’ve been a netflix user for years, and I NEVER get a new release that quickly. Ever. It always takes weeks before one comes in, and if you have anything in your que at all, Netflix is going to send that first.

    Second…that’s stealing.

    😉

  10. My friend sells used CDs on eBay for a higher price than new ones cost in the store or online. He doesn’t ask for that price, people bid that way.

    I guess there are some folks just don’t want to be bothered with making that trip to Best Buy, either online or in person.

  11. Definitely not worth it. I’ve always thought videos in iTunes were a bit expensive. I think a better price point would be around $5.99 – $9.99 depending on how long ago the movie was released.

  12. It’s all about convenience. I live 30 miles from the closest Best Buy or Walmart. If I want to buy a movie I’ll usually order it from Amazon. but now that I can buy and DL on my Apple TV why wait? So I can have a shelf full of DVD cases? Now way… I actually just ripped all of my movies on to HDD using Handbrake, threw the originals in a zipped up DVD case and tossed the big plastic cases in the trash.

  13. Part of the reason that I buy hard copies of movies even though I prefer digital copies is that I let family use them. Mom wants to see Hotel Rawanda? Got it. Sister has a urge to see a bunch of works of the guy from XXX? I’ve got that too. I’ve got whole tv shows, crazy movies, etc etc. I can’t lend them a digital copy. So I buy the hard copy so that I can share the movies I love (and give the ones I don’t).

  14. What I don’t get is why Apple is has a rental option for some but not all of its offerings. It seems like good amount are for purchase only. Whereas I mostly rent: I don’t want to clog up my hard disk; I rarely watch anything twice except reference. Full itunes purchase price is much higher than any other rental I know of, so there have been more than a few nights when I have just gone without.