The DVD Era Finally Ends – Thanks to the iPad
The Inception App Home Page
Once considered the savior of Hollywood due to their pristine image quality and durability, the DVD is quickly approaching the end of its shelf life. Over the past few years, sales have dropped by as much as 18% and that drop shows no signs of slowing. Meanwhile, new technologies such as HD TVs and Blu-ray, it was hoped, would revive sales. However, on demand services from the likes of Netflix, Hulu and now even Facebook are growing dramatically at the DVD’s expense.
It’s easy to say that the DVD will simply be replaced by a streamed movie, but that’s only part of the picture. The problem with these services is that, for the most part, all you get is the movie itself; no deleted scenes, no commentary, no production art, assuming you don’t rent/view the Bonus discs/features (if they’re available).
For most people that’s fine, but for cinephiles like me these are highly desired assets that add tremendous value to the overall experience and I want them. Then the unexpected happened. In an extremely rare moment of innovative thinking for Hollywood, Warner Bros solved the problem with the release of special, iOS “app editions” for both Inception and The Dark Knight.
The Future is Now
What’s great about these apps is that they offer all the content that users expect from “special edition” DVDs such as photos, behind-the-scenes features, etc. While the apps are free, you still have to pay for the actual movie, but you would have to buy the DVD too. However, the apps also offer a lot of additional bonus material including the option to purchase the entire soundtrack or just individual songs.
To be sure, not every film will get the royal-app treatment, but we’re already used to that with DVDs. Yet, apps can do a few things that DVDs would never be able to accomplish (unless you were watching via a PC, but you still need a disc for that).
- The app allows you to post to Facebook and Twitter. Spreading the word about both the film and the app can drive more sales.
- The app can be updated with additional features. Depending on the film, an app may, for example, link to a subscription-based online game. This too could generate additional revenue for the studio.
- The app could expand the experience by offering additional content. Disney’s newly released Tron Legacy: The Complete Story is an “interactive book app. Featuring stunning illustrated artwork, true-to-life stills from the Film, thrilling music by Daft Punk, and an electrifying episode of TRON: Legacy Motion Comics.”
Disney's Tron Legacy App
Certainly, there are still a lot of people who simply like having a tangible object. While I’m one of them, the benefits of what apps can offer have already made me reconsider the format of my future film purchases. Even the argument that I can’t share the experience with a large group when watching a film on my iPad is fading with the introduction of Apple’s Air Play, an app/hardware combination that streams music, video and photos to TVs.
Now, if the iPad could improve the quality of some of those films… I’m sure there’ll be an app for that soon.
Neal Wiser is Vice President of Digital Strategy and Operations at ODM where he leads our teams in the creation and execution of strategic and tactical digital marketing plans. You can follow Neal on Twitter (his handle is @NealWiser) or connect with him Linkedin.
Twitip.com Returns to Regular Posting with ODM’s Neal Wiser
Almost as fast as Twitter launched, Twitip.com established itself as the “go to” resource for news, tips and analysis about all things Twitter. However, while still receiving tens of thousands of unique visitors per month, Twitip mysteriously stopped publishing in December 2010.
As of today, Twitip is back with our own Neal Wiser (ODM’s V.P of Digital Strategy and Operations) leading the way. In his post The End of the 140 Character Tweet & its Repercussions, Neal discusses TweetDeck’s new Deck.ly platform that allows users to send tweets longer than Twitter’s self-imposed 140-character limit and what that means for the service.
Although Neal has been a contributor to Twitip since early 2009 (you can read an archive of his posts here), this is his first post since mid-2010. “It wasn’t from lack of desire. I have a lot of posts sitting in my queue, but I‘ve been so busy these past nine months, especially since joining the ODM Group, and as usual events online move so fast, that by the time I returned to finish a lot of those posts, they were old news.”
Of course, Neal will continue to post here at the ODM Group’s blog, as well as on our Facebook Page and Twitter account. You can also follow him on his personal Twitter account, @NealWiser, or on his blog, NealWiser.com.
Neal is also the Co-Founder of AddictedtoSocialMedia.com and Co-Host of its podcast where they most recently interviewed TweetDeck’s Community Manager, Richard Barley (listen here).
My iPad – A day early and not a dollar short…
I drove into Jersey at 1AM from Philadelphia to wait outside the Cherry Hill Mall Apple Store (The Philly Apple store wasn’t built yet) for the release of the iPhone 4 (see video above at the 2:00 mark, I’m the guy in glasses and the Reddit shirt filming the news “reporter”). I waited until 4pm the next day to finally get to the front of the line, I had no food, my phone died, I missed work (sorry Jay), and at the end of the day I could have just as easily ordered the phone online and received it 3 days later without all the theatrics. For some reason I love/crave/enjoy…? being the first to experiment with new technologies and/or devices. At E3 2010, I was the first person in the world to play the Nintendo 3DS. I filmed a colleague playing the device back in June 2010 and the video has nearly 3.5 Million views on YouTube. The Nintendo 3DS will be launching in North America at the end of March 2011, nearly 1 year of having my first hands on with the device. Thinking back about my love affair with new technology I can pinpoint moments throughout my life where I was in the right place at the right time to be “the first”. My mom won a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985 from a raffle and I was the first kid in my neighborhood playing Gyromite and Super Mario Bros., In 1993 I was able to get my hands on the elusive Panasonic 3DO years before anyone else and it’s still very rare to find to this day. The list goes on with cell phones, LCD TV’s, and Alpha builds of software, games, and operating systems.
That entire rant was essentially a build up to showcase my discipline and restraint to NOT buy an iPad in early 2010. I wanted one, debated getting one, almost bought it, then ultimately decided to wait for the iPad 2. I went a full year without feeling the urge to go out and get one, but when the iPad 2 rumors started to float around I got a bit antsy and made the mistake to talk about to my wife, Diana, a lot. iPad 2 this, iPad 2 that, it went on and on. In early February 2011 I told her about the rumors that the iPad 2 wouldn’t be out until later in the year and she seized that opportunity as a chance to surprise me for my birthday (2/18/11) with an iPad. I was content with the gift, especially being under the assumption that there was going to be an iPad-lite/iPad 1.5 released in April 2011 and the *real* iPad 2 wasn’t going to be released until late 2011. That was until I watched the Apple Keynote on March 2nd…
I did a spit take with my coffee when they announced that the launch date was going to be 3/11/11. I immediately started to plot out my plan to camp outside the Walnut St. Apple store in Center City Philadelphia. I was then quickly snapped back into reality. That reality being that I was the new owner of an iPad 1 and I think I would have been scoffed at if I missed work and tossed my wife’s gift out to wait hours in line for the newer shinier iPad 2.
This brings me to the actual point of this post:
New iPad owners can receive full refunds and/or trade in their iPads for iPad 2
Luckily for me, my wife is awesome and she said on my birthday that I can still get the iPad 2 and she would take my iPad (that’s either extremely understanding or a very clever way for her to get an iPad…). I will be ordering mine online and not camping out.
The fellows at iPhoneSmash put together a “what the hell do I do now with my new iPad” list:
What We Did
We called a few popular retailers around the country just to ask them about their return policy. Our scenario was that we recently bought the iPad and were looking to return it because we had heard of the new one. Our story was that we had already opened it and used it, but we had the box and the receipt and everything it came with (obviously a best-case scenario for any electronics product, but a good one to get into the habit of).
Wal-Mart
The one Wal-Mart where the associate did answer had very little to say (though we understand Wal-Mart can get very busy during the daytime hours). She mentioned that Wal-Mart offers 15 days with receipt and original packaging. No restocking fee was mentioned, but that seems in line with their in-store return policies according to their website, which states “Computers and postpaid cell phones must be returned within 15 days.” The iPad likely to fall under the computer category.
Best Buy
We called a few Best Buy stores and asked about their return policy. They offer 14 days, and returning the product would be okay within that timeframe. Even if opened, the product can be returned, so long as you have your original packaging and receipt to prove that your item was purchased with them. We asked about restocking fees and were told that was not a concern. Only special orders will require a restocking fee. Best Buy’s return policy can be found here if you need more details.
Verizon Store
We called a local Verizon store to ask them the same question. They have the same 14-day grace period for anyone wanting to return their item. The associate made sure to specify that we need all the original packaging and documentation as well as a receipt if we want to make a return. The associate did not mention a restocking fee, but we found that tablets have a $70 restocking fee according to Verizon’s website, so don’t be surprised if you have that extra $70 fee.
Target
We called Target as well, and they said that their return policy is 90 days, of course you must also have your original packaging and receipt. While most stores seemed to cut return policies on electronics down to 14 days, this didn’t seem to matter for Target. However, the associate did say there would be a 15 percent restocking fee on the iPad. That matches what we read on their website.
Apple Retail Store
We called three Apple retail stores. The first one gave us some information that we found a bit hard to believe. The associate told us that we had 30 days to return the tablet, so long as it’s undamaged and we have everything that came with it (meaning box, cables, documentation, etc.). May want to try your luck there, but we called to other stores just to double-check.
Another Apple Store told us that we have 14 days. If the packaging was opened, he said to expect a 10 percent restocking fee.
Yet another Apple Store employee told us about the same 14 day period and restocking fee. Though he did add that they may be lenient if you are buying an iPad 2 and if it’s ship date happens within your 14 days, you may be able to return it as an exchange. However, he did say that if we know for a fact that the iPad 2 won’t be arriving within our 14-day period, we should just make the return within the allotted time if we want to get a refund. After all, we would be returning a few days later to buy the new model.
Additional Information
It seems that all retailers have similar return policies. Target seems like the most lenient giving their 90-day period, but their restocking fee is a bit higher than Apple’s. Either way, you can count on having to keep your receipt and returning within two weeks of your purchase date. If you are a bit over that, it may be too late, but it can’t hurt to try to sweet talk them into it.
Also know that we read that Apple is refunding the difference for those who purchased an iPad within the last two weeks. Meaning, if you bought an iPad up to 14 days ago, you may be able to ask for a $100 refund to make up the discounted price. That’s not a bad deal, and an iPad at $399 might be pretty cool.
FaceTime on my iPad 2 at work with my baby daughter at home is worth every penny.
Please leave any tips on iPad 1 exchange/refund policies that you’ve heard about in the comments and I’ll update the article to include them.
Update:
Gazelle.com will buy back a wifi 16GB iPad for about $300, thanks for commenting with a tip Brian!
