Sony
Of course, there's no reason to believe this will be easy, even if the opportunities are ripe. After all, Apple's
Plus, this market's not just about Apple -- and it's not a simple market, either. Google
Even beyond the competitive landscape, the video-downloading market is still nascent and faces a few obstacles before it can become mainstream. For example, video downloads can be time-consuming and require a heck of a lot of storage capacity on users' hard drives. I wouldn't be the first person to think that maybe Netflix
This is not to say that Sony's completely out in left field on this one. I have often heard my Foolish colleagues discuss how one of the best things about high-end video game consoles like Sony's PlayStation 3 (and the PSP device) and Microsoft's
Sony shareholders can only hope that if the electronics giant does proceed with a digital movie store, it will illustrate that it has learned from initiatives that didn't work and find ways to make the offering irresistible to consumers (and even open up the possibility for a halo effect for its own products, although there are good reasons to theorize it might be unwise to put up proprietary walls like it did with Connect). There are plenty of rivals in this young space already, and missteps could leave it with a replay of Connect.
Netflix is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation. Microsoft has been recommended by Motley Fool Inside Value. A free 30-day trial of either newsletter will turn your computer into an investing hub.
Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy that applies to its videos as well.