Stark Industries versus iTunes
If you’re the owner of PC manufacturer Dell, and you’re looking for a way to compete with the Apple owned online retail giant iTunes, who you gonna call? Venkman and the gang ain’t gonna cut it this round. You gotta go with the big gun: mother-frakkin Iron Man.
The Hollywood Reporter announced today that Dell and Paramount Pictures are partnering up to offer a new front in digital distribution, with an eye to taking on the mega-sized iTunes. Their strategy? Offering customers the option to preload Iron Man into newly purchased computers for $20. Bonus footage will accompany the standard film content.
"The key here is to lead off our slow immersion into content as a major piece of the puzzle in terms of what consumers want from a PC," says Dell’s director of content, Rachna Basin.
So far, Paramount is the only studio to sign onto the plan, leaving Iron Man as Dell’s lone sentinel. As more companies partner up with Dell, consumers will likely have broader options as to which films can be installed onto their computers. Further, there are rumblings that Dell is looking to open an iTunes inspired online retail presence that would allow users to purchase films after they’ve bought their computers.
Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Jon Favreau, is out on DVD today. Dell’s offering begins today as well. So if you’re in the market for both the DVD and a new computer, then maybe it’s time to start thinking about a Dell.
