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Apple Inc. and News Corporation’s 20th Century Fox have forged a landmark deal that will enable consumers to rent the studio’s recent releases via Internet downloads at Apple’s popular iTunes digital media store, according to reports.

The plan amounts to a new video-on-demand service in that it offers users the ability to download the films for a limited period, the Financial Times reported, citing a person with knowledge of the situations.

The FT report said the tie-up is a showpiece announcement due to be released at Apple’s (AAPL) MacWorld convention on Jan. 14 in San Francisco.

Could it be true? We have certainly seen many hints of rental strings in current versions of iTunes. So I am gonna say this is likely. I have always been a fan of that TIVO/Amazon deal and I think something like this for AppleTV would be excellent. Sort of like Netflix, which I adore, but to the next level, relative instant delivery.

8 Predictions for Macworld 2008

1. iTunes Update
2. AppleTV Update
3. The Strongest Holiday Season Ever
4. Updated Macbooks
5. No iTablet
6. iPhone and iPod Touch Software Updates
7. iPhone SDK
8. One More thing…Mac Nano

In brief there they are. I think most are right on. iTunes update is a no brainer. We already see rental strings in current iTunes software versions. Strong sales has been on for Apple for several quarters, no signs of slowing down there. Macbook updates. I think this will happen, as this is a consumer oriented show…that said. iPhone SDK? MacPro Updates (not mentioned, but often spoken about). Those sound more like WWDC updates to me. Though I think the original PowerBook was shown off at MWSF…so it certainly isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility.
I think it might make sense for the Nano and the AppleTV to merge. The AppleTV hasn’t been selling gangbusters and neither have the competitors. A Mac for the living room, with AppleTV functionality, but with more power might be the way to go. That said, Jobs is notoriously against TV-as-monitor. He sees them, and correctly so, as two different exercises. One is brain on (computer) one is brain-off (television).

Only time will tell.

Orange, the mobile unit of France Telecom, announced on Wednesday that it sold approximately 30,000 Apple iPhones in the first five days the device was available for customers in France.

The iPhone launched in France on November 29th with Orange projecting to sell 100,000 units by the end of 2007.

This certainly would fly in the face of the story we have heard trotted about recently that “European buyers are more phone saavy” or “The iPhone is an average phone in Europe” of “European buyers would eschew non-3G phones”

In fact, 6,000 $400 Euro (or more) phones per day seems pretty good to me.