Re: Causation/correlation?
I've seen Popcorn Time, and it's got a surprisingly nice interface. There's a disclaimer on the site it comes from, but the app is quite professionally put together. I'd think it reasonable that at least some users aren't aware of what they're doing. You don't see the torrent, the data, the seeding or anything like that. It looks like Netflix.
Of course, if the rights holders weren't so astonishingly out of touch, they might be asking the important question: what benefit does Popcorn Time provide over their own service? Well, it has way more movies instantly available than any legal streaming service, because of the constant exclusivity deals and squabbling over licencing, and it doesn't make users jump through hoops like Ultraviolet and the like do. As Jim Sterling puts it, "you push a button, and get the thing." Users will pay for convenience, but if they can get superior service for no cost at all, you bet your ass they'll go for it.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
