Apple’s iPhone has been a hit with the masses hooked to mobile internet. And hand-held gaming is one big market that the iPhone is touted to impact majorly. Games have been one among the most downloaded applications on from the AppStore and Apple stands to benefit from the easy centralized business model that it first introduced with its iTunes Music Store.
Sony and Nintendo are the current world leaders in the hand-held gaming segment. While the sale of iPhones could rival that of Nintendo’s DS consoles or Sony’s PSP, it would be a long while before Apple’s revenues from the games alone are substantial.
The iPhone’s interface has great many innovations but some of them are chagrin to the serious gamer e.g. lack of buttons. But recent events may pave a new coming for the age of hand held communication devices that also double up as awesome game consoles. T-Mobile’s G1 did show the kind of direction that technologies are bound to take. Innovations in one phone, when popular will be immediately taken up and replicated by other vendors as well. The Web based application store model means that users have access to their favorite applications / games at dead cheap rates.
The latest announcement of opening up of White Space to allow devices which could potentially provide broadband like internet over airwaves is another interesting development. Apple has its proven credentials in the Hardware + Software space. Apple could be leveraging this new development to further expand the reach of its applications-from-the-internet business model.