Same reason PCs are not tracked. Not a dedicated gaming device.

To be honest I think the next logical step for the website would be to start tracking pc retail software sales as opposed to mobile gaming hardware.

Largely because the pc gaming market has a retail sector for software which can actually be tracked (as opposed to the fully digitally distributed mobile market) and because pc gamers are more likely to visit this site.

However I think mobile gaming should have a forum section.

I agree with the first sentence, but I think the main reason why PCs aren't tracked is because there are just too damn many places to buy one. There aren't quite as many places to buy one of Apple's mobile devices as PCs, but the point is that the retail channels look a lot different than the retail channels for game consoles.

I don't see why people are so quick to say we shouldn't track it because it's not primarily a 'gaming device'.

The ps1 and ps2 both had non-gaming functionality that were significant at the time. The ps1 played audio cd's, but the ps2 played dvd movies and was one of the reasons it beat the competition. A feature that wasn't immediately for gaming had an immense impact on the ps2 as a gaming console. Looking at how essential the rise of dvd movies as a format was to the success of the ps2, you can't dismiss products with multiple uses so quickly.

Then there's the PSP. Going by software sales in regions outside Japan, people are buying these things but not really buying software. Piracy accounts for some of this, sure, but what about the rest of these people? Should we stop tracking the PSP because people are buying it primarily for something other than buying actual games?

The reasonable criteria for inclusion should be how significant the device is to gaming sales. Primary function of the device is irrelevant. Tracking the iPhone or iPad at retail would be incredibly difficult though.

Totally different market to track the data.

By comparison, you'd need to gather sales data from various mobile phone stores throughout the world. Thats an entirely different beast in and of itself.

App sales on the other end...That is already done. Just not VGC.

But it would be nice to see hardware at some point.

People generally don't buy an Ipod/Iphone with gaming in mind. I have an Iphone and I've never purchased a game for it because it's a phone, which is all I need it to do!