Yeah, it is far better to undermine the existence of your own platform and service (read 3DS´ VC ) and risk tarnishing your brands for a few measly bucks, remember : Apple takes 30% of the revenue !

Sure, Nintendo could make great smartphone games, I have no doubt, but  would it be worth it ? Not to mention that that isn´t the way to make money on iOS !

If Nintendo would suddenly start developing iPhone games, that would take away ressoures from other projects and the question is: What could they do with these resources on the 3DS/ WiiU ?

Apple takes a 30% cut from every single purchase made on the marcetplace

On their own digital service, they get 100% of the revenue !

Fact is: Developers are flooging to iOS because it is cheap to throw some shit out in the world, look at the new Breath of Fire 6, Square´s atrocious FF remakes ports, Free to pay garbage as FF: All the Bravest, Mega Man Xover etc.

Those games are toilormade to suck money out of you, Square´s old shit costs upwards of 15 bucks and the f2p games molest you through in app purchases and are of questionable quality (garbage): this is how you make money on iOS

...this is not in Nintendo´s interest, the behaviour Capcom and Square show is shortsighted (tarnishing FF through all the Bravest and Mega Man through Xover and BoF6) in contrast to keeping the quality very high and preserving the good reputation!

and a second thought: If someone could get a decent Mario game on iOS (legally, not through emulation) what do you think is the more likely scenario:

he thinks : 1. That was fun, I wan´t more of this, I will buy a 180$ device and 40$ games or 350$ console and 60$ games

                    2. That was fun, I wan´t more of these cheap games (just assuming Nintendo would price them on the cheap side) on MY IPHONE

.........................which would be a huge blow for the 3DS AND WiiU

I have played some of their mobile games, and they are absolutly terrible.

bring old games to smart phones then.... twin bee?????

The only mobile games with nominal value usually are puzzle games IMO. There are no 'episodes' or 'special items that need to be purchased to advance or compete', giving players a complete experience and the ability to normally stop and go at their leisure.

People talk about how Nintendo should develop or port classics on iOS or the Google markets usually don't really know much about the business model that Nintendo has survived and continues to make profit with via controlling the experience and making money with each hardware sale. They look at the number of smartphones out there and think all of them will translate into sales.

They don't think about how the average mobile game sells for lower prices then Nintendo's usual software. They don't see how Nintendo loses money on the sales to Apple. They don't even see how giving access to other platforms hurt them in their strongest market (handhelds) which is supporting them by itself at the moment. The idea of Nintendo going into mobile gaming would be a last resort of a dying company, given the amount of cash they are sitting on from years of success with the DS and Wii, along with the stuff coming in from the 3DS front, the worst decision NIntendo could make is to say they will develop for smart phones, unless Apple or Google buys them out at which point it is what it is.

Iwata has been saying this for years and years. Why is this news-worthy?

I think Nintendo should release the old-school Game Boy and GBC library to Android/ iOS, and see how they do.  Make them require a gamepad, like the one Apple has coming out for iPhone.  That way even if one wanted to, they wouldn't be able to open or even download the game on their phone without the accessory being attached and recognized by the phone.

Then, if people like the old Nintendo classics, Nintendo can advertise the fuck out of 3DS and Wii U on smartphones through an app of their own, and say "hey, if you like our game series, we have new installments in all of these great franchises, but you can only get them on 3DS and Wii U."  Convince people to graduate up to Nintendo's dedicated hardware if they like what they see enough.

I don't think the Miiverse app is going to cut it.

Like most platforms. Steam too. It's just that Nintendo would loose its identity by going third party, and mostly any interest in their consoles.

Actually, it's more like reporters seem to like asking the obvious.    

Nintendo, or any developer for that matter, rarely just offers up statements without being prompted for it first.

Angry Birds Trilogy is 47th on the best selling 3DS games list.  

...PSP ?

I say all classic Nintendo titles ought to be on mobile but not new titles.

Why? Because they already are. Tons of people are playing classic Nintendo titles (and PS1) on mobile devices now. Nintendo might as well be making some money from it.