Apple Said to Have Declined Offer From Sony to Host 'The Interview' on iTunes

[tdale]

Storm in a teacup, so many assumptions. So, If Microsoft released, then Apple, then Google, would you all be down on nasty Google? For all the fanboy and hater assumptions here, the only way to keep you all happy is if these three big companies did a time measured equal release. There can be so much hate and assumption in MR at times. Its like some here seek out complaints.

Chill.

 

[Peace]

Apple waited to show this movie to prove a point to the movie industry.

 

[2IS]

Who cares now? It's up there and anyone who wants to download it now has another choice besides Microsoft and Google. I refuse to download anything from Google Play because Eric Schmidt sanctioned the North Korean regime last year by going over there on a state-sponsored trip.

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If Apple is such an evil company as you in the Apple Bashing Crowd say, then why bother posting here? Go buy the Interview from the company whose chairman visited North Korea at Kim Jong Eun's personal invitation last January and be patriotic instead.

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The most likely explanation is that Apple was scheduled to release it on iTunes today before the whole flap began, and that they refused to make a special exception for Sony after they waffled on whether to release it.

I'd rather stay and see the ADF lose their little minds as Apple keeps changing it for them.

 

[kdarling]

Who cares now? It's up there and anyone who wants to download it now has another choice besides Microsoft and Google. I refuse to download anything from Google Play because Eric Schmidt sanctioned the North Korean regime last year by going over there on a state-sponsored trip.

What a strange comment. That's like saying Tim Cook sanctions Chinese factory worker abuses by visiting China.

Any trip to North Korea has to be approved by the regime. It doesn't make it a state-sponsored trip.

From the American point of view, it was a private trip arranged by a former New Mexico Governor, to both express continued interest in an American being held by North Korea, and to promote the idea of opening up the internet.

As we all know, information flow is one of the first steps that help to open up a restricted country. NK is an extreme example, with supposedly no more than 1,000 computers (used by the elite) in the entire country that are allowed to access the outside internet.

Not long after their visit, NK opened up mobile internet access to foreign visitors, which is a good thing.

Clearly Tim Cook didn't think it was important enough to be there on Christmas Day.

Clearly, otherwise it would've been there.

Critics of Apple say its motivation is all about profits. If that was really the case, Apple would have been the first one to have this movie up, especially if Sony was offering an exclusive.

Obviously something else delayed it. As I said, there could've been a fear of reprisals against Apple stores, or of network attacks on iTunes.

And if it's all about Apple's relationship with China would it really matter if the movie was offered on Christmas Day or 3 days later?

I agree, I don't think China was a factor. (Even though China still subsidizes North Korea, it's obvious they also think NK can be a destabilizing wildcard. That's why China wants NK to agree to denuclearization of the peninsula.)

 

[mercuryjones]

ADF is just classic! You had a number of ADF here saying that Apple won't release trash, others afraid of terrorist and many saying that Apple was on vacation.
Pretty difficult to defend a coward I guess.
Never let a terrorist dictate what you can and cannot show.

Bwahahaha. Man, you put way too much feeling into this. It's a movie and a crappy one at that. So what if Apple decided to not host it at the same time as everyone else? The only thing going for the movie is the hype, and that's dead now that everyone (well, everyone that actually wanted to see it), realizes how bad it is.
And yet, still you bleat on and on about how Apple is a coward, as if anyone really cares what you think.

 

[tdale]

I'd rather stay and see the ADF lose their little minds as Apple keeps changing it for them.

Insecure? A need to whine here like a spoiled child than contribute here or at your preferred platform forum? All you are doing is showing your shallowness by throwing stones and crying. Posts like yours are a compliment to whatever platform or person etc you are slamming. Its people like you that give Android a bad name. Live your life, not vicariously through others.

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Apple waited to show this movie to prove a point to the movie industry.

Quite possibly some truth in that. Another possibility is wanting not to be the first in case the hackers acted. Could also be what you said, but are the Govt.

 

[2IS]

Insecure? A need to whine here like a spoiled child than contribute here or at your preferred platform forum? All you are doing is showing your shallowness by throwing stones and crying. Posts like yours are a compliment to whatever platform or person etc you are slamming. Its people like you that give Android a bad name. Live your life, not vicariously through others.

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Quite possibly some truth in that. Another possibility is wanting not to be the first in case the hackers acted. Could also be what you said, but are the Govt.

This is my preferred platform, so I'm in the right place. You're just confused. I have the distinct advantage of preferring Apple products without letting them do my thinking for me. It's quite liberating, you should try it sometime.

 

[tdale]

Bwahahaha. Man, you put way too much feeling into this. It's a movie and a crappy one at that. So what if Apple decided to not host it at the same time as everyone else? The only thing going for the movie is the hype, and that's dead now that everyone (well, everyone that actually wanted to see it), realizes how bad it is.
And yet, still you bleat on and on about how Apple is a coward, as if anyone really cares what you think.

I wouldn't bother feeding the troll. He's probab,ly banging away on his keyboard as we speak. Time noted 10.35am Monday

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This is my preferred platform, so I'm in the right place. You're just confused. I have the distinct advantage of preferring Apple products without letting them do my thinking for me. It's quite liberating, you should try it sometime.

LOL. Yeah right. This is your prefered platform, you feed your need to put down others on the assumption all Apple users are sheep. And as commonly seen in your posts, you add your pretentious closing comments, which you feel puts you on the high road. Thats a psychological issue. The N word, and not the racist word. But your lack of class, lack of contributing information, lack of opinion, and lack of any real purpose makes it humourous to read your posts. And that is a bit sad. Im just being honest actually, others here will agree, but you will come back with your own trite attacks, as expected. Its the N word, and you know what I mean

 

[Danilo - Italy]

From Deadline.com: "Days after its debut on several competing digital outlets plus a Sony-controlled one, The Interview has launched on Apple's iTunes Store, Apple announced in a statement. “We're pleased to offer The Interview for rental or purchase on the iTunes Store,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said in a statement. The movie rents for $5.99 or can be purchased for $14.99 on iTunes, both in HD."

Stop and go policy. No good sign.

 

[Rogifan]

Clearly, otherwise it would've been there.

Obviously something else delayed it. As I said, there could've been a fear of reprisals against Apple stores, or of network attacks on iTunes.

I agree, I don't think China was a factor. (Even though China still subsidizes North Korea, it's obvious they also think NK can be a destabilizing wildcard. That's why China wants NK to agree to denuclearization of the peninsula.)

I think it's as simple as A) Apple not wanting to chance any network or retail store attacks on Christmas and B) Apple corporate is probably mostly shut down over the week of Christmas (aside from customer service and keep the lights on jobs) and Cook didn't feel it necessary to interrupt people's PTO to get this online. I mean it's not like we're talking about some movie that will become an all time great. Had the Sony hack never happened this movie would probably be getting very little attention and would be a box office bomb.

 

[2IS]

I wouldn't bother feeding the troll. He's probab,ly banging away on his keyboard as we speak. Time noted 10.35am Monday

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LOL. Yeah right. This is your prefered platform, you feed your need to put down others on the assumption all Apple users are sheep. And as commonly seen in your posts, you add your pretentious closing comments, which you feel puts you on the high road. Thats a psychological issue. The N word, and not the racist word. But your lack of class, lack of contributing information, lack of opinion, and lack of any real purpose makes it humourous to read your posts. And that is a bit sad. Im just being honest actually, others here will agree, but you will come back with your own trite attacks, as expected. Its the N word, and you know what I mean

You're assuming I'm assuming all Apple users are sheep, based on you recognizing yourself in my posts and thinking everyone else is just like you. That's your problem, not mine.

 

[tdale]

I think it's as simple as A) Apple not wanting to chance any network or retail store attacks on Christmas and B) Apple corporate is probably mostly shut down over the week of Christmas (aside from customer service and keep the lights on jobs) and Cook didn't feel it necessary to interrupt people's PTO to get this online. I mean it's not like we're talking about some movie that will become an all time great. Had the Sony hack never happened this movie would probably be getting very little attention and would be a box office bomb.

\

I agree. If it were me, I'd prefer not to risk a potential problem by being the first. Prudent. And its just a political issue betwwen the politicians and the hackers, let them fight it out. And its clearly not about making money. Just a cautious mode, no issue with that

 

[Piggie]

Apple waited to show this movie to prove a point to the movie industry.

Is that why they ban apps from the app store, then a few days later change their mind?

To prove a point to App makers?

 

[tdale]

Is that why they ban apps from the app store, then a few days later change their mind?

To prove a point to App makers?

Well, you cannot argue about that, well replied, and fair enough too. I have no idea, what Ive seen smacks of the Apple team that vets the code, design, malware, and rules making mistakes. Apple has for so long been anal with app rules. Apps have been released then pulled back when they missed something. Now, with Apple freeing up these arcane rules, allowing apps to share more and interact more, we see apps declined then released.
the convenient answer is that they made a mistake. More likely, that team was too conservative, devs/users made a noise, talked to TC or whoever, and they let it go, or added more freedom to the ever decreasing rules. If it is the latter thats a good thing. Its positive to be less like SJ these days

 

[phrehdd]

Actually that is incorrect. While technically speaking remnants of weapons were found, nothing was usable as it was largely destroyed in 1991.

I'll respond in PM so as not to fully distract from this thread.

 

[oddnendz]

You, like so many others portray this in a matter of nickels and dimes. That isn't the point. Instead of standing up for the liberties and decrying the sniveling of a two-bit dictator, Apple decided to execute via, apparently, the almighty dollar.

1) I'm not totally convinced the North Koreans are totally to blame.

2) I find it difficult to stand up for any Hollywood studio. What about all other filmmakers and films that have been censored by two-bit dictators? The films that aren't made by a Hollywood studio. Where is everyone standing for them? Apple, Google, Netflix or any of the Hollywood studios don't stand up for them. Why get upset over this s****y movie?

3) I don't blindly follow people to see a crappy movie in name of patriotism.

4) maybe Apple didn't want to call people back from their holiday for a crappy movie,

For the record, I did see Team America numerous times this week....

 

[tdale]

You, like so many others portray this in a matter of nickels and dimes. That isn't the point. Instead of standing up for the liberties and decrying the sniveling of a two-bit dictator, Apple decided to execute via, apparently, the almighty dollar.

How? The soap opera played out in politics and the media, movie cancelled. Your President says it was a mistake to stop the movie release. So the movie scenario is reversed, and those providing it sell it as usual. However isnt Apple the last to join the almighty dollar bandwagon. If they were the first to jump on to get the money, I would agree with you, but all the others were.

 

[Cpt. Gilgamesh]

First, people were mad about speculation as to why Apple didn't post the film.
Now, they're mad because they didn't post it fast enough.

I think it's safe to say that people were going to be mad at Apple no matter what and the other 99% don't care at all.

The report said it could have been due to a timing issue. It apparently was. Also, where is the film on Amazon or Netflix? Don't they have a moral obligation to stand up against tyranny?

 

[KPOM]

What a strange comment. That's like saying Tim Cook sanctions Chinese factory worker abuses by visiting China.

Any trip to North Korea has to be approved by the regime. It doesn't make it a state-sponsored trip.

From the American point of view, it was a private trip arranged by a former New Mexico Governor, to both express continued interest in an American being held by North Korea, and to promote the idea of opening up the internet.

As we all know, information flow is one of the first steps that help to open up a restricted country. NK is an extreme example, with supposedly no more than 1,000 computers (used by the elite) in the entire country that are allowed to access the outside internet.

Not long after their visit, NK opened up mobile internet access to foreign visitors, which is a good thing.



Clearly, otherwise it would've been there.



Obviously something else delayed it. As I said, there could've been a fear of reprisals against Apple stores, or of network attacks on iTunes.



I agree, I don't think China was a factor. (Even though China still subsidizes North Korea, it's obvious they also think NK can be a destabilizing wildcard. That's why China wants NK to agree to denuclearization of the peninsula.)

My guess is today is the day that it was supposed to go out originally, before the hacking incident.

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Hard to believe that Google and Microsoft can make "special exceptions" and Apple cannot. People here brag how much money Apple has yet it has no meaning. Someone dropped the ball and it was Tim Cook. This was a very important moment in film history. Not that the movie was Grammy material but because terrorist was trying to prevent the movie. If the terrorist succeeded anybody could push around movie studio's not to release or modify content.
The only one I saw "waffle" on release day was Apple and major theaters. It was only until Apple noticed that Google had no threats did Apple decide to do the right thing.

My guess is that Apple wasn't going to drop everything to make a special exception for Sony. Had Sony not waffled it would have gone out to thousands of theaters on Christmas and likely to streaming later, perhaps today.

It's not Apple, Google, or Microsoft's job to cover for Sony's mistakes. Google and Microsoft had their reasons for releasing it on Christmas Eve, and Apple had their reasons for releasing it today. Remember, Apple never said they wouldn't release it. The original story was that they didn't agree to the accelerated release timetable.

 

[JAT]

There truly is a God.
http://recode.net/2014/12/28/apple-starts-streaming-the-interview-too/

If this is what God does, then he is nothing.

 

[APlotdevice]

Hmm, I do wonder if this could ultimately backfire on theaters in the end. Showing the studios that they can make the big bucks without a theatrical release.

 

[DVDRAMMER]

Unexpectedly clever and very funny movie.

I can't believe that Sony kowtowed to a nerd hackor, actually believing that even if the threat was from NK, that they would have the reach, manpower or doctrine to commit ma$$-murd‡r in an American movie theater.

Or it was just a publicity move.

 

[Sol]

You have been banned from /r/PyongYang.

Eugh! I feel dirty just for clicking on that.

 

[Blakjack]

We're letting these terrorist scum scare the crap out of our freedom and decision making. All it takes is one little threat to make Apple chicken out. And you yourself is afraid because Apple has your credit card number. Do you constantly live in a state of fear when you give your personal information out?
And if Apple doesn't trust their own security what makes you think your credit card is safe in the first place? Tells me that Tim Cook has little faith in his own company.
Thanks Google for showing me that you're not afraid and have confidence in your ability to protect our information. We now see who the better company is.

Whoaaaa.....relax them there britches buddy. It's gonna be ok

 

[poppy10]

I purchased this movie on Google Play with the intention on watching it. I purchased the HD rental for $5.99. Then I discover that if you buy it on a computer, you can BUY the HD version, but you can't watch the HD version on a web browser, you have to watch the SD version.

How ridiculous is that???! On iTunes, you click and it's done, and you can play HD or SD, whatever you prefer.

How exactly do you watch your iTunes HD movie on a web browser?