I really want to say "that's a nice point", but I'm having a hard time because PSN did this like 4 years ago (but why you would try to "own" a cloud-based piece of media is beyond me). That said, I've only ever bought incredible movies (of course, I'm talking about Fletch, Raising Arizona and Ace Ventura), so I don't understand the desire to "own" movies. Especially since they get re-mastered and HDed and 3Ded and what. It's like owning an LP (which is basically silly (if you consider logic and reason to be friends)).
Hm, I think you are a bit too focused on bringing other companies into this. Going back to the first point you made, sure, not having to plug in your iOS device is not game-changing when you are looking at the industry and specifically at Android but that’s not what Gruber said. Let’s take a closer look:
“But in short let’s just think about the ways that iCloud might be a major, dare I say game-changing, step away from USB tethering between iOS devices and iTunes running on your Mac/PC.”
He says that it would be game-changing for iOS devices. That’s most definitely true. I don’t think he says that it would be a game-changer for the industry.
That said, I'll say: that's a nice point.