Disney ’s $ 7.4 billion purchase of Pixar Animation Studios could strengthen the ties between another company headed by Steve Jobs , analyst surveyed byMacworldsay . Potential benefits to Apple from the Disney - Pixar union let in everything from more content on the iTunes Music Store to a increased visibility for the computer Almighty inside the one of the earth ’s lead media creator .
“ Disney is already an other supporter of Apple ’s television efforts , ” said Ross Rubin , director of analytic thinking at NPD Group . And he observe that the two troupe already have a good working relationship — at least when it comes to making content usable to drug user .
Disney ’s ABC television connection and Disney Channel cable mesh have offer for - sale computer programming at Apple ’s iTunes Music Store ever since thestore began offering videosin October , 2005 . ESPN content was tot to the memory board earlier this year .
“ It ’s a new direction of reach witness and an chance to motor incremental tax revenue networks would n’t have had otherwise , ” Rubin added .
“ For the short term they ’re already on target with a good family relationship , ” hold Michael Gartenberg , VP and inquiry director at JupiterResearch . “ Apple ’s already reap a mass of benefit . ”
The NeXT measure
Disney ’s preoccupation of Pixar puts Steve Jobs on the company ’s add-in of theater director and charge Pixar ’s John Lasseter as Disney ’s new Chief Creative Officer . Parallels have been drawn between this transaction and Apple ’s acquisition of NeXT in the mid-90s , which brought about Steve Jobs ’ return to Apple and his eventual aggrandizement as then - CEO Gil Amelio ’s replacement .
To this mean solar day , NeXT ’s influence can still be felt at Apple ’s executive levels . Besides Jobs himself , NeXT alumni at Apple include Avie Tevanian , Apple ’s chief software technology Officer , Bertrand Serlet , Apple ’s older vice president of software package engineering and Jon Rubenstein , Apple ’s older frailty president iPod segmentation .
Ultimately , NeXT ’s operating system assist as the basis for Mac OS X. In some way , Apple viewer argue , it was NeXT that ask over Apple . Could the same matter materialise to Disney ?
“ I do n’t imagine [ Disney CEO ] Bob Iger is Gil Amelio , ” Gartenberg sound out . “ And I do n’t conceive that the allurement of scat Disney is the same as flow Apple for Steve Jobs . Having said that , Steve Jobs is now Disney ’s heavy shareholder . He ’ll require to protect his investment and grow the byplay . Disney would be wise to to take his counsel . ”
NPD ’s Rubin thinks that Pixar ’s influence will be key to Disney ’s winner go forward .
“ Pixar has had an uncanny string of success — not a individual bomb in their history , ” he said . “ It ’s distinctly more than about the engineering science : They ’ve been gathering writers and storytellers that are doing a proficient job of capturing the tending of the audience than Disney has . ”
Where do we go from here ?
Are full - length Disney feature films on the view for the iTunes Music Store ?
For now , Apple ’s emphasis in sell TV online is still on shortsighted subjects and television shows . Rubin intend this has to do with the delivery medium .
“ Much of the iTunes Music Store ’s purpose in life is to help support the iPod and to make capacity conveniently uncommitted for that equipment , ” Rubin said . “ The iPod has a comparatively small screen and depends on comparatively special broadband capacity . That drove compromise such as limited resolution for videos that look ok on an iPod screen but tend to reveal some of their shortcoming on a plasma screen or something you might find today in your keep elbow room . ”
As net bandwidth in North America ratchet up and as Apple develops more sophisticated television - capable iPods , however , Rubin sees a different video emerging .
“ We ’ll finally see the closure of the video increase and we ’ll see long mental object , ” he added . But Rubin also expect that the audience for that variety of message wo n’t match the size of the consultation that just wants television shows and short videos . And that poses a unlike challenge for company like Apple and Disney .
“ If you ’re going to be taking this out of the home , do most consumer have the time window in which to learn a feature length movie ? The longer the video is the minor the interview is that will have the luxury to watch it , ” he said .
occupation ’ presence on Disney ’s gameboard might push the two company to tackle that challenge . “ If Apple for example were to become more aggressive in its growth of a reckoner root in the living way the ability to total premium subject matter from a company like Disney would be a big win , ” Rubin said .
For his part , JupiterResearch ’s Gartenberg believe Apple and Disney complement each other very well . “ Walter Elias Disney produce content , while Apple creates puppet that make depicted object , ” he said . “ We ’ll surely see more ways for them to work together in the futurity . ”
