The iGame? Further Leveraging the Consumer Era of Computing
Something is afoot. Steve is lurking in the weeds. New and unusual trademark filings. Curious job postings. A closer bond with former rival Intel around handheld devices. An upcoming event to announce something big. You can feel it in the air. Apple is on the cusp of another move to further cement its legacy as the pre-eminent brand in consumer technology. It kind of feels like the calm before the storm, just like before the iPhone was announced. And you know what? A move into handheld gaming is totally logical.
Apple is synonymous with fun, easy and cool. And Steve has engineered this first-class user experience by keeping control of every stage of the production process, vertically integrating in a way that hasn’t been successful for decades. He has been among the vanguard to usher in the Consumer Era of Computing, something I wrote about over a year ago in the wake of Vista’s release. He did it with the iMac; the MacBook; the iPod (and its variants); and the iPhone. The iGame? It’s a natural. Nintendo has shown us only too well how much money there is to be made in handheld gaming by delivering a package of hardware, software and a user experience integrated into a seamless whole, unlike others across the competitive landscape. They have adopted the same vertically integrated approach Apple has, maintaining maximum control to ensure that disconnects between engineering, hardware design and the customer experience don’t get out of alignment. It may not be the cheapest way to do it but it certainly delivers results when executed to perfection, as Apple and Nintendo have been doing for some time.
I believe the original thesis around the Consumer Era of Computing is continuing to play out, and that Apple’s move is yet one more indication that starting with the customer experience is Job #1. Yes, top engineering is needed. Yes, wicked software development skills are the ticket to play the game. But at the end of the day it is the delicate dance among design, engineering and production that separates the good from the great. And this is what both Apple and Nintendo do so well. And for the first time in quite a while Nintendo is likely to be challenged by a worthy competitor, and by a competitor it didn’t even know it had.
UPDATE: Chris Kohler, Editor of Wired Game I Life, just put up an article on this very topic. Yours truly is quoted. Check it out.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Oliver
EMAIL: oliver@bogler.net
URL:
DATE: 02/10/2008 11:22:21 PM
I like your idea - and there are certainly clues out, as you describe, that Apple is getting into gaming. I am not sure that they will launch anything as big as a console though, at least not for the foreseeable future.
More likely, IMO, is an expansion of games onto Apple TV, and/or the handheld devices. I could see games on iPod Touch and iPhone being a new area. That would fit with the buzz about the iPhone SDK for Feb 26.
Apple has the cash for new ventures, but I think the main concern is not to make a wrong move, and the gaming world is pretty crowded.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: thegrey
EMAIL: gfox25@gmail.com
URL:
DATE: 02/11/2008 09:49:00 AM
yeah i don’t think they want to go back to this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippin
Mostly like it’s to cover their butts on iPod/iPhone games.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: RobZ
EMAIL: rzenilman@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 02/11/2008 12:56:26 PM
How about Nintendo going after Apple with A GamePhone? Nintendo has proven adept at adapting devices (DS & Wii) to easy and fun user input. Plus they are able to engineer inexpensive implementations of cool technology (touch screen on DS and bluetooth motion sensors on Wii) and last but not least, a they have a killer software library.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sasa Persic
EMAIL: sasa.persic@gmail.com
URL:
DATE: 02/12/2008 06:33:29 AM
why be a competitor to nintendo, when it would be better to licence needed technology from them?
In the living room, great solution (from customer pov) would be merging Nintendo and Apple platforms together. Apple TV combined with Wii would became ultimate entertainment device/service offering gaming, video and music on demand. all from one small set top box.
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2 years ago
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