It looks like the rumors were right, as Netflix is bringing its streaming movie goodness to the iPad via an application.
As expected, you’ll be able to manage your movie que on the go and you’ll be able to stream programming from the movie renter’s catalog. If you’ve never used the streaming service, you should try it right now – it works well and even though you don’t get access to the latest releases, there’s a ton of television programming and older movies available. It’s become so useful that I’ve switch off the three-disks-a-month plan to the $8.99 version because I mainly stream.
An interesting thing is that streaming service uses Silverlight on the desktop to stream videos, but it has changed that to reach the iPad audience. This is another sign that publishers are willing to move away from plug-in technologies like Silverlight or Flash in order to reach the increasing number of iPhone users.
“The innovation and consumer appeal of iPad make it a perfect device for instantly watching TV episodes and movies streamed from Netflix,” said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, in a prepared statement. “We are excited to make a Netflix App available to iPad users beginning with the iPad launch.”
The app’s free and available now, but it’s iPad-only for the time being. No word on when or if it’ll hit the iPhone and iPod Touch.