Cars

Ten years ago, most homes relied on dial-up connections to access the Internet and iPods, flat-screen TVs and the Nintendo Wii didn’t exist.

As we prepare to ring in 2010, consumer should expect to see more revolutionary products supplanting old mainstays. In media, DVDs, books, newspapers and magazines will continue to lose ground to services like in-home movie rentals and gadgets like the Amazon Kindle. In big-ticket items, the push for energy efficiency will continue to influence consumer decisions on cars and home upgrades. Blockbuster is closing stores for two reasons. One, Netflix is fucking awesome. Two, Blockbuster is a shithole. They treat their customers like shit, they never have the movie you want, and they charge well above market value for a rental. Netflix, on the other hand, constantly stocks new and old titles, is opening distribution centers to try to get delivery down to one day, and treats it’s customers with respect. I’ve had a few discs get lost to and from their center, and I’ve had a few received unwatchable. Every time they took me at my word and replaced the disc promptly. Blockbuster would charge you for replacement.

Looking ahead, DVD purchases could turn cold, as well. On average, DVDs sell for at least $20 each. That’s pricier than signing up for Netflix or renting movies from cable providers’ on-demand channels. Netflix charges as little as $8.99 a month to rent one DVD at a time (with no limit to the number of monthly rentals).

Time Warner Cable offers thousands of movies on demand for around $4.99 each. Verizon Fios cable service charges $5.99 a month to download unlimited movies.

$20? When was the last time you paid $20 for a DVD? New releases are about $15 at Best Buy, after that they float around $15 to $20 for a few months, then they drop off to $5 to $10. Did they mean Blue Ray? And while I love Netflix, and on-demand is convenient to check out movies you’re...

Read more...