By Josh Ong
Published: 09:00 PM EST (06:00 PM PST)
A new Apple customer survey asks iPad users about instantly available video from iTunes, possibly hinting at upcoming streaming or cloud-based services.
The survey, reported by
Engadget,
questions consumers about their "satisfaction" with iTunes video purchases or rentals on the iPad.
Since the iPad currently requires iTunes video files to finish downloading before playback, one of the available answers, "Titles are available to watch instantly," is inaccurate. An instantaneous iTunes video feature is unavailable for the iPad at this time, but is supposedly in the works.
The timing of the survey is of particular interest, as it comes just days before Apple's annual September
media event, where the Cupertino, Calif., company is expected to refresh its
iPod Touch and
iPod Nano offerings.
Apple is reportedly in talks with content providers to offer 99 cent streaming rentals of
TV shows, which would be offered alongside an
updated Apple TV, recast as the iTV. It remains unclear whether streaming video and the iTV set top box will be announced at Wednesday's event.
Although some
industry insiders expect a cloud-based iTunes service by the end of the year, recent reports point to an
iTunes update focusing on new features that are "social, not streaming."
