Selling Movies - Wasting potential

"Potential what?" I hear you ask...well I'll type my thoughts out and let you answer that yourselves :)

Recently I noticed something...it seems most places you go, no matter really where you are there's always someone trying to sell you a movie. What am I talking about? The advertising for the movie Bridesmaids.

It's everywhere, it's available on DVD and Blu Ray, Movies on Demand (PayTV), as well as download for rent or to own. Supermarkets are trying to sell it, department stores, internet stores, video libraries...you get junk mail where the cover of it alone takes up about 1/3 of the page, it's sponsored on websites like YouTube and the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) and I bet it's been promoted on social network sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Considering the movie costs typically about $20 at most of the places selling it I believe everyone actively promoting it are running a significant risk seeing as how competitors doing exactly the same thing they are.

I doubt I'll ever buy that particular movie, if I do chances are someone will show it to me, or I'll rent it... preferably when it gets cheaper to rent seeing how I'm not running out to see it. This means all the promotions and advertising was wasted on me, buy a lot of different businesses.

The philosophy behind advertising and persuading a consumer aside...

What I don't like is the grade of film that has this financial risk associated to it. Discs, cases, covers, posters, junk mail (printed catalogs - paper, ink, graphical designers, printers, delivers), transporting and someone putting them up for display/sale...all for the price of $20. How many people do they expect to buy it for $20 before copies end up in bargain bins for $5 a pop?

I can envision that this movie also has some product placement, which I have written about previously about a somewhat similar production The 40 Year Old Virgin

The budget for the project has been estimated at $32.5 million (IMDB) and has generated $281 million worldwide as of September 4 2011 (IMDB).

I can't help but think of how that money could have been spent, and the time and effort people put into it from the beginning the the end of production, distribution and sale.

Short Term Future of iDevices

Just a bit of speculation I have decided to share with you all after I read an infographic about feature rumors surrounding the release of the Apple iPhone 5. I'll point out now from the onset that I do not, and have not owned a iPhone before, the closest device I do have would be the iPod Touch I bought (model before cameras were introduced) to see if I'd like an iPhone, and the HTC Mozart that I got in place of the iPhone.

Firstly the inbuilt camera - The iPhone 4 is equipped with a 5MP camera, my HTC has 8MP. If Apple do not improve the camera in the next iPhone that would be a massive blunder - It is a safe bet that the camera will be improved.

Doing without the 'Home' button, or the relocation of this button. Personally I think they should stick with it - Overall I don't see this as that much of a big deal. With or without this button won't make that much of a difference.

A bigger screen with better resolution has also been rumored - Again, pretty standard improvements in the business, however there is only so big that a 'portable' device can get, before it becomes something else altogether.

Processor speed, Battery and RAM also commented on, and again are pretty much expected with new releases of technology.

A HDMI Output is touted, which would be quite the step forward and make the iPhone more 'friendly' with other equipment (monitors and television). For me however, I think there's something strange about plugging something that is essentially a mobile phone, into a big screen HDTV - I also see this as being perhaps unwelcome competition to other Apple products such as the Mac Mini / Server

Finally a new iOS for the new device.

With all the talk of cloud computing these days, DRM and itunes content - The prospect of taking away power from the user and replacing it with distractions is a scary thought to me, and also something that is frighteningly realistic.

Here in Australia Apple have already blocked Samsung's attempt at the tablet market with patent (??) violations cited and ruled. There is no mention in the rumors that I have seen about TV, which to me, is surprising - I'd expect it. 3D has been touched on, but no TV? Hmm but lack of speculation doesn't mean Apple aren't working on it.

What's everyone think?

Here's a pic for the purdiness and perhaps + lulz...depending who you are :)