They talk alot of shit that's for sure... but they don't have the developer support to even begin talking shit like this... if Microsoft said they were making a handheld they have lots of devs that would support them... especially if it shared a common hardware design as the 360(not power just common hardware... PPC and ATI video). The games business isn't like the PC business... I think MS can attest to this. But even MS hasn't entered the handheld market... I just don't think those people at Apple realize what a strangle hold the DS has on it.

The Apple plan for games reminds me of an old saying: If you throw enough shit at a wall, some of it is going to stick.

Me... and at least 300.000 others... http://kotaku.com/5035507/iphone-monkey-ball-sells-300k but that was from the first month...

note this: "All in all, over 60 million programs have been purchased from the App Store since launch, generating around $30 million in sales in the first month alone" don't know how much is games.. but at least monkey ball counts for 3 million.. in the first month..

So yeah.. apple is doing great.. they are just so smart! it's great!! I have like paid 60 euro for games & app  cause they are so cheap! got crash racing, monkey ball, wings, BEJEWELED 2 etc... I use my iPhone primarly as a phone but it's sure is handy to play some games from time to time.. I see nintendo copying this busniness model with the DSi.. it's smart.. Digital Distribution FTW!

I think this gen has proved, write off people at your peril. laugh it up, you could well end up laughing on the wrong side with such a dismissive attitude.

Actually, I think the Nintendo plan for Wii and DS/DSi has been like that for a while, lots of shitty games - some are bound to sell. And I love my Wii and DS but i won't deny the amount of shitty games.

Also, I'm not saying that they won't make any money, just providing anecdotal evidence and personal opinion.

I'm sure Apple will make money, they can put there name on an expensive item (sometimes good, sometimes turdy) and it will sell. It's been done with great service, great marketing, and mostly decent products. Value however is not an Apple strength, cool and hip is. You always pay more for cool and hip. Good for them, I wish i had that power. My worn fruit of the loom website would really kick off if I had that type of power.

I am neither cool nor hip.

 Yeah but seriously making claims like these is what makes companies who are actually in the biz simply ramp up their value. They are only putting themselves at a greater disadvantage because other companies are not just going to let them in, especially after the xbox.

This is better for us, but that doesn't mean we can't call them ridiculous.

Apple needs to fail once. They havent tasted failure since mid 90s. Getting too cocky...

Most would say the Apple TV has been a failure. Same goes for the G4 Cube. They got a bit of a bloody nose starting up their Mobile Me service, too.

Right now, Apple is interested in projecting an image to the 3rd party developers, an image of the AppStore and the potential markets it opens. For small devs, it's a gift from heaven. I've heard of numbers claiming there are some 20 000 registered developers for the iPhone, but I don't know if that is true. Nevertheless, there is huge interest in the platform among the small developers, and now it seems Apple is targeting the bigger ones. They already have players like SEGA and EA doing things for the iPhone, but still they are the new entrants and have to convince the industry that there is money to be made through the AppStore. But even if Apple fails to attract much more big 3rd parties, the vast number of small devs is almost certain to produce a few megahits, and even most of the less successful apps can generate profits for the developers. If your game/whatever costs 10 000 dollars to produce, even a pitiful attach rate will earn you good profits. The real question is, can big budget titles earn a profit? SEGA must be happy, at least.

Yeah, I would say so too. Also on the server side of things, Apple has not been gaining much traction. It's not like everything they do is a runaway success.