Who really needs to fear Apple? Hint: It’s not Microsoft
So today was all Apple. It didn’t matter where you turned in the tech blogosphere, all you read was Apple news. Stevie boy is back from the near dead and the acolytes breathe a sigh of relieve as they bow to the alter of Apple. For all of the talk about iPods, Nanos, video and storage space to stuff even more music that you’ve bought through the new shiny iTunes there was one thing that caught my eye and it had nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll.
A couple of other tech bloggers mentioned it as well but more in passing than anything else but it is something that I think should be having the boardrooms of the gaming console makers shaking.
Dean Takahashi at VentureBeat writes
Schiller says the iPod Touch is also a great gaming machine. He notes the multitouch user interface is great, the games are cheap, the App Store allows for great choice of games, and the buying experience is easy.
Harry McCracken at Technologizer says
I think it’s the evolution of the iPod brand. It used to be about music. Then music and video playback. Now Apple is pitching the Touch as a computer that plays games,
By targeting the casual gamer looking just to past some time while commuting to and from work not to mention the number of parents who use it to keep antsy kids pacified Apple is setting itself up as the go to store where you can easily buy and download good games. At this point none of the other handheld console makers have anything that comes close and don’t seem to be in any rush to jump into the market that Apple is very quickly sewing up.
Sure everyone might think that Apple’s big competitor is Microsoft but Jobs knows that as much as Microsoft might want the Zune HD to challenge Apple that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. So rather than worry about Microsoft Apple is going after the one market that will keep coming back with open wallets – the casual gamer. By making the iPod a premier gaming console and the Apps Store the only place to buy good games Apple plans on being the same 800 pound gorilla in the gaming market as it is in the music market place.
Right now if I was in charge of a company making and marketing of handheld consoles I’d be worrying – a lot.
