Next countries to get content

kashimo said:

Today Steve Jobs mentioned that more countries will be able to take more advantage of AppleTV soon.

Anyone have any idea which countries those might be?

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Well, since there is already Germany and France there might also be Switzerland and Austria (same languages).

kashimo said:

What is hindering AppleTV and for that matter iTunes from getting content beyond music in those European Countries? Copyright laws? I would think this rental model would change that.

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I believe there are several things that come together.

First and most obvious: the different languages. Apple needs to convert every movie in all different languages (which is obviously not needed with music).

Second: Servers and a solid network. If you imagine the size of one HD movie, then you need a massive server capacity. If Apple sells a Product like the Apple TV, they need to guarantee a solid stream. I am sure the movie store will come to more countries but Apple needs time. Think about it: Apple has many many products they need to serve over the Internet (Apps, Music, Software, Updates, Movies, Mobile Me, ...) to millions of people 24/7.

Third: Copy right. Many countries have different laws.

Fourth: The combination of all three combined with the fact, that the market is not big enough right now compared to other segments (music, Apps). The hassle, time and the money needed to solve these problems is just not worth it right now. Apple is just getting in position. In a near future Apple will be able to stream movies to your Mac, iPad, iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, ... just as you can buy music right now. So only when Apple sees enough revenue in this market segment, they will invest the money to solve those problems. But for now, they prefer to focus on things that provide the most revenues. And if I see what Apples has reached in the last decade, they seem to do it right (even if I'd prefer more focus on other stuff than the iToys... But I am not a share holder... just a user.)