Would You Like Some Fries With That Download? 241
vodkamattvt writes The New York Times is reporting that the Walt Disney Company is hoping to replace happy meal toys with portable media players that could hold Disney movies, music, games, or photos. From the article: "The plan could work something like this: A customer enters a restaurant and buys a meal, receiving the portable media player and an electronic code that authorizes a partial download of a movie, video or other media file, which can be downloaded while in the restaurant, according to a United States Patent and Trademark Office application filed by Disney. Then, with each subsequent return, the customer earns more downloadable data, eventually getting an entire movie or game."
Sounds like an extension, not a replacement (Score:3, Insightful)
Something that you can't use until after you get home won't catch on with the kids... but it could work for adults.
This sounds much more in line with the collector's drink cups or those sports-team bobble-heads you can sometimes get at fast food places than the classic kid's meal toy.
Don't count on it any time soon. (Score:3, Insightful)
If you ask me, we'll never see these, simply because a wifi media/game player costs money. Know how much a DS or PSP costs? I'm sure McDonalds can't afford to give away a $200 gaget with the purchase of a $3 meal.
A free download for an existing DS/PSP might happen, but since none to many people have such, I dout it.
Will it Hold a Child's Interest Long Enough... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Don't count on it any time soon. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Types of movies (Score:3, Insightful)
they could watch their video to lose the calories
I'm afraid a little more effort than that will be required. Therein lies the problem, sadly. Everyone already knows how to exercise (running, biking, swimming, etc.) but they just don't care enough to do it.
So I'm confused .... (Score:4, Insightful)
Fundamentally, this is a "method of providing customer reward for ongoing purchases" (coupled with a "mechanism to ensure repeat business by children").
Big deal, so it's a digital method. They've taken the concept of reward cards, thrown in Wifi, and are claiming to have done something patentable. This is just silly.
God I hope this patent is rejected.
News - three years from now (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Don't count on it any time soon. (Score:5, Insightful)
Unfortunately, and I may be alone, but this just sounds like more trash polluting the earth. McD's will give out or sell millions of these, people will be fascinated for mere minutes, and most will be discarded or throw into a toy chest, creating more silcion based hardly-biodegradable trash polluting the earth. It's like throw-away DVDs, except the chachki-effect may last a day or two longer.
Am I the only one that feels this way? Anyone else notice it's Disney again creating all the damn trash? (Or, the ideas that create all the damn theoretical trash?)
Screw that (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Strike one for obesity (Score:3, Insightful)
I believe they are encouraging acceptance of heavy-handed DRM schemes, and the reward for this acceptance is a fat/glucose hit. Sounds like a great way to raise a new generation of docile sheep for Hollywood.
Re:Don't count on it any time soon. (Score:3, Insightful)
Why Blame McDonalds? (Score:5, Insightful)
Restaurants are supposed to be treats. They have become a way of life.
what does the patent have to do with launch? (Score:4, Insightful)
What seems a bit bigger of an obstacle is how do you get a device cheap enough that can actually handle playing a movie.
The cheapest device at the moment must be the GBA micro and that still is 100 dollars. Of course you could deduct Nintendo's and the retailers profit from it but how low could you possibly get?
Current happy toys are cheap chinese made plastic toys costing less then a dollar for the most ambitious campaigns.
Surely they know that any free tech device of any capacity is going to be hacked?
As for kids remembering to bring their player with them. A bit hopefull. Lending the device out temporarily would also be prone to cheating and asking for a deposit would effectively double the cues at the till for people wanting to give the device back after eating.
Nice idea but wouldn't it be simpler to put the media player in the table? That techonology can be readily bought from airline seats supliers.