Maybe it's just a coincidence, but on the eve of Apple's next big thing -- something being called the Apple tablet which only makes me think of an aspirin that tastes fruity -- Steve Jobs wants the networks to drop the cost to download TV episodes from the iTunes store.

Could that be the reason Steve is meeting with the executives, to make them see that downloads would increase substantially if individual episodes were $.99 instead of the current prices which are typically twice that amount or more.

There's plenty of reason why the networks should listen to Steve. He's been right a lot more than he's been wrong. The iPod and the iPhone have revolutionized how we listen to music, use our phones, PDAs, etc. Whatever the next big thing is from Apple, it probably involves how to watch TV in a more portable way. Even more than we already are watching with the stuff we're carrying now.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize that the way the world is consuming television has changed dramatically. I know people who have stopped using cable or satellite service entirely because they simply watch the TV shows they're interested in seeing online. Sure, it's easy enough to go to Hulu or SlashControl or many of the other sites online to watch episodes while dealing with a few ads. And there are many people who find other ways to rip the shows they want.

But if you tell me that I could download the shows I want to watch/keep for $.99 each, I'm more likely to buy it than surf for it. And if Jobs' new iWhatever is as amazing as an iPod or an iPhone, making it better to watch TV on the go, I might be inclined to get it and do more downloading.

Is it tomorrow yet?