Apple ends the year looking quite ripe

After another stellar year you'd think Apple might ease up a bit during the last few days of the year and take some time off from brokering new deals to bask in the glory of selling God only knows how many iPods and iPhones during the holidays. Think again.

During the last week of the year not only did the company's stock manage to hit a new high of more than $200 a share, but it has also entered into an agreement with 20th Century Fox for digital movie rentals.

And rumor has it that there will be more than one major movie studio will be on stage with Steve Jobs at at the company's Macworld Exhibition in mid-January to promote the new Apple movie rental service. Companies like Amazon and Movielink have managed to maintain a dominant position over Apple in the area of digital movie rental service. But it now appears that Apple is poised to make a major move in the space. If Amazon and Movielink want to keep the upper hand they would be wise to follow Apple's example of not resting.