iOS Products - Is Apple going the way of Blackberry?

[DaRev]

rocketpig said:

DaRev said:

rocketpig said:

famousringo said:

DaRev said:
Maybe Apple did become complacent like with the Blacberry, but I like more to compare them to Sony with regards to that complacency.

Anyways, I'm just glad those gamers, you know who you are, that thought crap like 'Apple would buy Nintendo' or that 'Handheld gaming is dead' could eat some humble pie. I honestly don't know why gamers think such dumb shit. The reality is that Samsung and other phone, pc, and software manufactures have their hand so tight on Apple's (and Sony's) neck that they can't think about making any sudden movements, nevermind trying to infring on Nintendo's business.

Handheld consoles sold in December of 2011 according to VGC: 6.9 million

Handheld consoles sold in December of 2012 according to VGC: 5.4 million

A YoY decline of over 20%. That's why gamers "think such dumb shit."

I've been screaming about the death of handheld gaming for four years now (right around the time of the App Store's release). People mocked me extensively for it at the time.

Those people were wrong. And also, dumb. It was just so fucking obvious that phones and tablets were going to eat into handheld gaming consoles sales. For the vast majority of people out there, a single do-it-all device that you have to carry around all day, every day is going to squash the need to buy a dedicated device that you have to remember to carry around whenever you leave the house.

"Mobile phone sales declined across the globe by 1.7 percent, according to Gartner.

The research firm's latest report suggests that difficult economic conditions, shifting consumer interest and intense market competition has resulted in a worldwide drop in sales, which has not declined since 2009." http://www.zdnet.com/gartner-worldwide-mobile-phone-sales-fall-apple-and-samsung-stay-on-top-7000011234/

OMG!!!, consumer interest in phones have shifted, no doubt back to dedicated handhelds. Newsflash, Nintendo will now buy Apple o_O

 

The mobile phone market is nearing the point of saturation, particularly in industrialized nations. Notice that study reports mobile phones, not smartphones.

Also, a 1.7% drop (of overall market, not the market we're talking about here, which is still growing) compared to a drop of over 20%. Ell-Oh-Ell. You handheld diehards can wish and hope all you want but the market is shrinking. It was obvious it was going to happen to anyone not so blinded by dreams and desires to see handhelds succeed. Just as PC sales are down, handheld sales are down. As Google and Apple attack the television market, next on the list are consoles. Microsoft and Nintendo have a chance to hold on this generation but I don't see Sony faring nearly as well because they don't have Nintendo's quirkiness and they don't have Microsoft's convergence options to make the Xbox a true competitor to smart televisions (of course, the Xbox 720 could be full of bad ideas... we don't know yet but based on the 360, MS has a chance to stay in this and thrive).

Also, this is in the first paragraph of the article:

"In addition, fourth-quarter 2012 smartphone sales continued to drive overall sales, as Q4's 38.3 percent hike based on the same period last year reveal. Smartphone sales in Q4 2012 reached record levels of 207.7 million units."

Fact, almost every gamer will have to drop dead, before handhelds and consoles are replaced by cell phone gaming. What people, like you don't realise is that phones, whether smart or dumb, are a now a way of life. They are however not a way of gaming life. Therefore, people don't necessarily go out to buy a phone because they want to play the next God of War, Halo or Mario game or even the next Madden. They buy a phone because they want or need a phone. If the phone is able to play games then it’s an added bonus.

Yes phones compete for the same disposable income that people would spend on consoles or handhelds, but so does every other consumer product competes for people's disposable income. Therefore, it doesn't necessarily mean that phones and gaming devices are in direct competition with each other, to the extent that phone manufacturers (like Apple) could put gaming companies (like Nintendo) out of business.