Amazon vs. Apple

Amazon launched the AmazonUnbox video download service and player today, a couple of days before iTunes' video player. It's only compatible with Windows XP machines, and the downloads only play in Amazon's proprietary player (available free), so Disney's opted out. Many other providers have opted in, however, and the offerings are pretty broad. Users can either rent or "buy", but usage is severely restricted even if the download is purchased -- it can only be copied to two PCs and one handheld device. Users can copy downloads to a DVD for backup, but they won't play in a regular DVD player. Apple can't be happy at being trumped, but we'll see if Amazon's market penetration is a match for Apple's.