averyblund said:
I don't there is person who would disagree with you- I think the reason people are interested is because of how quick Apple has become a player, even a niche one. It is especially remakable when you consider all the players in the market who have been around for literally more than a decade, and yet can't seem to create a viable mobile gaming/app platform. Nearly all have been stillborn. Look at the N-Gage, Nokia is the biggest provider in the world, with massive resources and talented devs and a multi-year head start. And guess what? They are getting demolished. The same applies to Windows Mobile which has had an iteration since the late 90's, backed by one of the largest software companies in the world. Add in the fact that all of these competitiors support dozens of models and the uptick of Apple is even more surprising.
Apple has put its butt on the line hoping that users move toward convergence. Even Sony and Nintendo seem to be moving that way (PSP media stuff and DSI). If convergence is indeed the future Apple is well positioned with a foothold in the mobile market, a growing desktop OS, iTunes, developer relations (which Sony and Ninty have as well), and a strong non-gaming portfolio. Does that mean they will ever leave the niche? Heck no, who knows. But considering how they have radically changed the mobile phone landscape in the last 2 1/2 years I wouldn't put it past them. One only has to look at all the commericals out there for the various "iPhone killers" (that look quite similar to the iPhone) to realize that the industry has gotten quite a wake-up call.
Even if Apple doesn't ever go anywhere I'm glad they have helped improve innovation highly stagnated market. This is why competition is always good. |
It is indeed remarkable how highly Nokia touted the N-Gage, how much resources they put in it, and how miserably it failed. I don't know if MS have really put much resources into mobile gaming, but they surely are not a big player in that area, even with all the 3rd parties. The real reason Apple and iPhone are so much in the news is how massively they have changed the game, pun intended. It has taken Apple less than a year to accomplish more than Nokia, MS and all other competitors have accomplished combined: Apple made a working solution for distributing and selling mobile applications for all who own and Apple phone. It has been noted several times before, but the real killer-app is the AppStore, and now everybody and their grandmother is wanting to have a copy of it.
Besides the AppStore, the other key ingredient is Cocoa Touch and the iPhone SDK. Luckily I have not had to program anything for Symbian or Windows Mobile, but I've heard from a number of people that Symbian is really a big pain in the ass, and Windows Mobile is better but far from good. So far everybody I know of who have made the transition to the Apple side of things have uniformally praised the frameworks and development tools. I can only say that it is really, really easy to make apps that look great, so you can concentrate on making your app work really well. Add to that the uniformity of the installed base, and you don't have to worry about supporting 25+ different device configurations, which is a HUGE burden. Then add to that the fact that I have just one party to deal with then I want to distribute my app, and I don't have to worry about anything else than submitting my app for them, and what you end up with is quite simply the best mobile application ecosystem in existence today.
As long as these pieces are in place - the easy buying and installation of apps for consumers, and great development tools, a uniform installed base and hassle-free distribution for developers - the platform will continue to grow and be a success. I hope that other phone manufacturers will be successful in their marketplaces, but quite honestly I don't think they can put up as comprehensive an offering as Apple.
