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thismeintiel on 03 August 2016
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ebw said:
thismeintiel said:

Listening to all this Apple vs Android is pretty funny when you consider Android owns like 80%+ of the WW mobile OS market. So, yea, an Apple console with Nintendo games MAY mean something here in the US (though, the Apple brand didn't exactly help the Pippin), but WW it would really mean spit. The PS has pretty much reclaimed its spot as the go to gaming HW after the slip up that was last gen. As long as Sony doesn't make any major slip ups, again, which I'm sure they have learned their lesson, it's going to be extremely hard to take that away from them.

Not really.  iPhone is still an aspirational brand worldwide even though emerging markets can't yet afford as many of them as low-end Androids. Longevity and engagement is also a big factor: there may be 5 times as many Android phones sold, but the actual install base is only 2-3 times larger, and SW sales to that install base is only on par with iOS (historically it's always been lower, but I'm not up on the latest figures).  User retention and satisfaction levels remain stellar.  Apple brand is also extremely strong in Japan which is a major market for gaming, though iPhone is noticeably weaker in Europe.

But generally Apple hasn't shown any interest in getting into the games market, aside from a handful of Apple-produced casual games when the iPod classic was popular (they did hire Casamassina from IGN but that was to manage the games section of the App Store) .  Even the recent refresh to bring game developers to Apple TV showed a reticence to embrace console gaming, as they abandoned support for games that require dedicated controllers.

The effect of Apple's brand on Pippin sales is completely irrelevant to the current discussion for two reasons.  1) the Pippin did not receive much in the way of Apple branding, being sold and largely marketed by Bandai.  2) it came out in 1995, a time when Apple's brand was nearing its lowest value ever under highly dysfunctional management, and Apple has quite literally rebranded more than once since that time.  Nowadays it ranks first in brand value lists by a considerable margin (http://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list/), but 20 years ago is before the iMac, iPod and iPhone — the Apple brand then had a loyal but utterly meagre following by comparison.

Still, I'm basically just saying I don't think an Apple console would be a guaranteed hit.  I also agree that Apple wasn't the company they were today when they launched the Pippin.  Though, I think the sting from that console launch will still be in the back of their mind.