Boy howdy, the menu just keeps on getting bigger! If you thought all you could get via Apple's online WebObjects-based purchasing system was Macs, think again; since it first started logging hits over four years ago, Apple has gradually mixed in a hearty selection of zesty software and lip-smackin' accessories to satisfy all but the biggest appetites. Now, when you order up a piping-hot made-to-order Power Mac (hold the SuperDrive), it's easy to round out your meal with a digital camera, a FireWire camcorder, a stack of software, and a color printer on the side. Yes, the Apple Store: it's not just for breakfast anymore. Keep that Pepto handy.

Still, until now the menu has been pretty solidly Mac-specific cuisine, and for obvious reasons. But the latest addition to the Apple Store's bill of fare has something of a more... continental flavor to it. Faithful viewer Tyson Evans points out that customers can now add a selection of DVD movies to their Apple Store orders, thus marking what appears to be Apple's tentative first step into the wild and woolly world of not-necessarily-Mac-related general merchandise. A quick scan of today's specials indicates that Apple Store patrons can now wolf down DVD copies of Bridget Jones's Diary, Ghost World, Moulin Rouge, Memento, Planet of the Apes (the remake), and-- for all of you who thought Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo-- Pearl Harbor. What, no Pixar selections?

We know, we know-- Apple is categorizing these movies as "software" and they're intended as digital content for use on DVD-enabled Macs, so it's not like the company is planning on becoming the next Amazon any time soon. Still, the fact of the matter is that these flicks aren't Mac software; they can be watched just as easily on a regular consumer DVD player. So how long will it be before Apple starts offering a few dozen music CDs on the premise that customers can rip them into iTunes and transfer them to their iPods? As we all know, from there it's a slippery slope down into the world of selling baby strollers and George Foreman Grills.

However, we'll jump off that bridge when Apple sets fire to it. In the meantime, the next time you're loading up on gear at the Apple Store, consider adding a movie or two to the mix. Surprisingly enough, the prices aren't half bad; compared to ordering up the same dishes at Amazon, Apple's movies are, at most, only 71 cents more expensive. And get this-- when last we checked, Moulin Rouge was actually four cents cheaper from Apple than from Amazon. Why, with the four cents you'd save, you could almost buy an after-dinner mint. Very refreshing.