Get Better Gear!

Premier Sponsors

TechRestore

Other World Computing

Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • Supernature

    • 10 out of 10
    • Goldfrapp
    • On their latest CD, Supernature, Goldfrapp has put together a successful mix of 1980-era New Romanticism, German cabaret, and T. Rex glam that leaves you riveted even through the album's lulls. It's a great amalgam that sounds current without sounding at all dated.

  • Trouble

    • 8 out of 10
    • Ray LaMontagne
    • At first, Ray LaMontagne might strike you as just another breathy-voiced knockoff of folk/rock guitarists like John Mayer and Jack Johnson. But he's actually got a better voice than either, he tell

  • So Jealous

    • 8 out of 10
    • Tegan and Sara
    • So Jealous is the third album from these sisters, and easily the one to single out for an introduction to their music. Some people may not get on board with their vocal styles, which are slightly

  • Modern Lovers

    • 10 out of 10
    • Modern Lovers
    • This timeless masterpiece is little known, but it has inspired almost as many bands as The Modern Lovers' own inspiration -- and only slightly better known -- The Velvet Underground & Nico.

  • Go Away White

    • 10 out of 10
    • Bauhaus
    • Go Away White is an album I've been waiting more than 20 years to hear, and the good news is that it was worth the wait.  The latest -- and last, no...for real this time -- album from

Reader Specials

Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!

News

Games May Be Next Big Thing for Apple

For decades, there have been terrific games on the Mac, but they always took a back seat to the best games on specialized game PCs and dedicated game consoles. At Tuesday’s event, Apple may have shown its hand on the Next Big Thing, games, according to ReportonBusiness.

While the attention at Apple’s "Let’s Rock" event was focused on music, the iPhone and iPod touch are ushering a new era and a new platform for mobile gaming.

"By bringing established titles such as (the coming) Need for Speed and Super Monkey Ball to its platform, Apple is threatening to chip away at the lead held by Nintendo’s market-leading DS console and Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP), Matt Hartley wrote. "Video games are the early stars of Apple’s App Store - an online marketplace where iPhone and iPod Touch users can download games and other software to customize their devices."


Solar Quest 1.7

After the event, Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior V.P. of Worldwide Product Marketing, told Reuters in an interview that 700 of the roughly 3,000 apps in the App Store are games. That’s the largest category.

"Apple tends not to think in terms of demographics," Mr. Schiller said. "You are likely to see more people using iPod nano than a Touch in athletics. If you are a kid who plays lots of games, perhaps you would be more likely to own a Touch."

Apple’s emerging business model for games is proving to be quite different than the console games, and whether it will be successful is open to question. "The difference between Nintendo and Apple is that Apple treats content as a commodity and Nintendo treats hardware as a commodity," Billy Pidgeon, an analyst with IDC. said. "That’s why I would be skeptical about Apple’s potential as a real force in the games business. It does play against the traditional razor-razorblade model employed by the gaming industry."

However, Andrew Ayre, the CEO of the company that developed Super Monkey Ball pointed out that Apple is, in a variation of Mr. Schiller’s comment, actually targeting a new demographic, mobile games. "From a development standpoint, it’s very easy and straightforward to develop for and certainly the graphics and the features such as the touch screen and the accelerometer are pretty unique," Mr. Ayre said.

While Nintendo has sold more than 23 million DS systems and Sony has sold about 13 million PSPs, Apple’s installed base of iPod touches and iPhones could quickly eclipse both, creating a game industry that Apple may have never intentionally planned, but might end up leading to market supremacy, according to the author.

Post Your Comments

  Remember Me  Forgot your password?

Not a member? Register now. You can post comments without logging in, but they'll show up as a "guest" post.

Commenting is not available in this section entry.