Netflix announced today that they are splitting their services into two completely separate entities. The service that provides DVD rentals via the mail will now be called Qwikster. They state they chose that name because it refers to "quick delivery", but we can't help but wonder why it wouldn't then be called "Quickster." Do we really need to misspell everything in an attempt to make it sound cool and edgy? Anyway, the online streaming rental service will retain the name Netflix.
Up until very recently, Netflix subscribers got both DVDs via mail and unlimited streaming for $9.99 per month. To retain the same services in the new model, users will be charged $15.98 per month. The bad news doesn't end there: the Qwikster.com and Netflix.com websites will NOT be integrated. That's right, you'll have to search through two different sites to find the movies you want. The silver lining is that the Qwikster service will now allow video game rentals, but it will be at an additional cost similar to the Blu-ray upgrade ($2.00 per month). Warm fuzzies are noticeably absent following these announcements. What do you think?
[via Netflix Blog]
