As a more direct reply to this topic, I'd say that the Apple platform is an equally significant risk to Nintendo and Sony, and possibly the greatest risk to Microsoft.

Apple and Nintendo bump heads because they are 1) both significantly concerned with the portable space and 2) both significantly concerned with the casual space. Apple and Sony bump heads because they are both concerned with the convergence device space, which puts Sony in the akward position of choosing a competitor with the PSP2: either make a gaming device and compete against Nintendo, or a convergence device and compete against Apple. I envy them neither choice. If they make a PSP2 at all, they'll likely try to split right down the middle, because going up directly against either one does not sound appealing.

Microsoft's threat is totally different. Their threat isn't against the 360, it's against the Netbook and Laptop market, where they are the dominant player in OS. While it isn't as formidable a threat in this regard, it's also not striking at peripheral markets like Sony and the PSP, it's striking directly at Microsoft's core profitable enterprise.

I can genuinely see the iPhone/iPad hurting any and all three of these companies as it carves out its own space. All three will need to position themselves well, because Apple isn't a slouch.

wow, great numbers, but I agree these sales need something to live (not a huge price?)

Actually, the iTouch is an iPad Nano.

the PC market according to pachter is around 20 milllion, he said it in one of those pacht attack videos

I'm sure it'll slow down, just like the iPhone and iPod have, amirite? (did you know that 2008 and 2009, were the best years in the iPod's history? In both years, Apple sold ~54 Million iPods)

Aaaaaaaany second now. Also the Wii will stop selling as soon as the Gamecube owners have bought it. Remember that argument? I do.

I know you're not being this absurd, disolitude. I'm just pointing out a logical error that I think hugely inhibits people's ability to reasonably prognosticate the future: because they don't personally see what's so great about something, they assume its sales are a consequence of hype or marketing, and that it must surely die off.

Well, I don't really care about Apple products either. I'm typing (and playing) on a PC as  I speak, and my Phone + MP3 player are a Motorola/Google Droid. If anything, I'm slightly anti-Apple, because I'm afraid they'll encroach on Nintendo's space, a company's whose products I genuinely like. And I really, really like Google. I try not to be a fanboy of faceless corporations, but I'm close with them.

But that doesn't stop me from recognizing Apple's  popularity, and coming to the logical conclusion that the iPad, like the iPhone and iPod before it, probably aren't a flash in the pan. Just because I don't personally care very much about the products doesn't change reality.

Okay. Is this supposed to refute my point? The articles I linked suggest PC Gaming revenue is rising. In fact, they are quite precise and site actual figures. Does this very imprecise, ballpark install base figure refute that in some way?

And I'd bet a good deal of money -- just as a side point -- that the 20 Million represents the number of people buying Xbox type games. As in, he's not counting people who play Yahoo Chess (Even though playing Yahoo Chess does actually make money for Yahoo, and thus absolutely should be counted as gaming revenue). In fact, the easiest way to show that is to point out that there are 80 Million people playing Farmville ALONE:

http://mashable.com/2010/02/20/farmville-80-million-users/

Let alone any other game on the PC. Which is to say, one game on the PC has a higher userbase than the PS3 and 360 put together. And Farmville makes real, significant revenue.

Which gets back to my point: PC Gaming revenue is now built largely ont he back of MMOs and casual titles. Which, according to many people (and apparently Pacther), "don't count." I guess because you don't like them, or something.

yes he is only counting big budget games i think, but please dont call farmville a game. but this kind of games dont make a lot of money so you need to sell a lot to make a real profit, but i think that is the market that the ipad will take over. i think PC market is small compared to the console market and maybe getting smaller comparatively in raletion to the console market.

I find the Apple haters amusing. 3 years from now they will be talking about how their cloned knockoff copies are so great.

Apple has about as perfect a record as a company can have over the past decade. What's their only flop? AppleTV?

In the meantime they've reinvented music with the iPod and iTunes, reinvented the phone and pocket computing and changing the way we look at everyday activities with the iPhone and iPad. And oh yeah. They sell more laptops than anyone and have increased their marketshare in home computers, to the point that software companies and data providers are catering to their products in unheard of ways. All to almost universally good reviews, with great customer service (unless you need to deal with ATT&T), and a pretty strong reliability factor. When I needed Mac help due to my stupidity, I talked to a nice educated woman in Texas (i.e. NOT India).

All while maintaing a hip image and increasing profit in a terrible economy - - increasing company profits every year for at least the past 5, including a 33% increase last fiscal year as the economy imploded.

Yes. They should stop doing what they are doing. Clearly no market there.

Other than that, they are just one fail after another.

Farmville is a game.

The primary definition of "game" according to Dictionary.com: An amusement or pastime.
The primary definition of "game" according to Webster's Dictionary: An activity engaged in for diversion or amusement.

I mean, I don't even see how one could possibly argue it isn't a game. I'm assuming you refuse to accept its existance because you don't personally like it. I don't like it, either. But I also try to live in a world where I acknowledge the existance of things even if I don't like them.

And these types of games do make significant revenue. Zynga alone -- the makers of Farmville -- has a market capitalization approaching 1 billion dollars, placing them among the top 15 biggest game publishers in the world. Zynga has existed for approximately 3 years. Let me repeat that: in less than 3 years, Zynga has become one of the 15 largest video game publishers in the world, by market capitalization. They're also probably making far more profit than most of the other publishers. Although that's not very hard, because the majority of the other big ones are losing money.

It deserves it.