OTHER TECH

Apple Computer may not give us 50-inch plasmas, rumbling surround sound, or the Beatles catalog for MP3 download (which many music lovers are waiting for), but at this year's MacWorld Expo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs did make news with iTunes. During his keynote address, he introduced a new high definition iTunes movie rental service, and second-generation software for Apple TV to go with it.

He told the crowd in San Francisco that all major studios are partnering with iTunes, and more than 1,000 movies will already be available by the end of February. Library titles will cost $2.99 and new releases will be $3.99. More importantly, they're offering high definition versions with 5.1 Digital Dolby surround sound! Those will run you a dollar more apiece. You'll have 30 days to watch the movie after renting it, and 24 hours to finish it after you press play.

To make downloading the videos easier on an Apple TV box, the company is releasing an upgrade within the next two weeks. Nicknamed "take two" (probably because it sounds better than "back from the drawing board") it will allow you to access movies, shows, music videos, and songs from the iTunes store directly through your widescreen TV. No more synching the setup to your computer's iTunes library - like a glorified iPod - first. It will also enable you to view YouTube videos and Flicker slideshows. One drawback (and isn't there always at least one): You won't be able to download a high definition movie from iTunes and watch it on your computer if you don't own an Apple TV setup.

And just so you're not left out at the water cooler should the geeks with broader tech knowledge gather, during Jobs' keynote, he also introduced a wafer-thin laptop called the MacBook Air. At .76 inches thick, it's so slim you could easily lose it in a stack of papers on your desk - perhaps an alarming feature for something that costs $1,779 (and can't download Beatles songs on iTunes yet).

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