Will Apple ever release a games console?

They already did and it failed (Pippin)

Apple is more about style, simplicity and design and Consoles need raw power. If they did do another console it would have the power of a Wii but without the uniqueness.
 
pumaz said:
They already did and it failed (Pippin)

Apple is more about style, simplicity and design and Consoles need raw power. If they did do another console it would have the power of a Wii but without the uniqueness.
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I think if apple did a console it would actually be excellent, their quality standard is second to none and thus IF they ever released a console it would be pretty special. However it would also be very pricy which is not a good place to start in a market aimed at those with lower incomes.

I generalise this way because the use of a console is purely recreational, it cannot be an executive product as executive people have little time to play games whether they want to or not. iMac's and mac books have corporate uses and ipod's are popular with commuters and other professionals who are out a lot.

This isnt to say that in a less competetive marketplace apple could not launch a console and do well, but with a huge entry fee for new systems (look at microsofts xbox 1 figures and early xbox 360) coupled with market saturation of 3 diverse consoles and the aforementioned fact that Apple's dedicated "fan-base" are not prime consumers of hardcore recreational products, it would be a poor decision to enter the market at this time.

The only area where they could do well is the handheld market and as the iPhone develops im sure it will expand into commercial games and perhaps even connect to televisions in the future working as a pad to play games downloaded to the phone etc
 
yeah i would say never.
not because there not capable, just because most people will have the sense not to buy £500 consoles from apple. because lets face it, do apple ever reduce prices on there high end stuff.
 
There's a major stumbling block in the iphone becoming a console and that's lack of control. Gameloft and the likes have bought out some amazing games but the touch screen control method is terrible for almost all games. I have an iphone (and MacBook) and have bought apps like Nova and real racing and while the games are great the controls ultimately take away from the experience.

I've said before and others to Apple need to bring out some kind of Joypad doc for the iphone/touch and sooner rather than later. They're mad not to really, Why would anyone bother with DS or PSP when you can get games like Hawx for £3.99 But this is Apple and Apple don't listen as they beleive everyone should just except and change to suit Apple.
 
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pumaz said:
But this is Apple and Apple don't listen as they beleive everyone should just except and change to suit Apple.
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I think it's amusing that once upon a time Apple Macs were an alternative to MS PCs because people didn't like how MS behaved in a similar manner to how Apple are these days.
Not that MS have got much better over the years mind.
 
ViRuS2k said:
yeah i would say never.
not because there not capable, just because most people will have the sense not to buy £500 consoles from apple. because lets face it, do apple ever reduce prices on there high end stuff.
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People bought the PS3 (console only) for £425 at launch? Where did you get £500 from?

Yes, they drop pricing occasionally, what is your point :confused:
 
I hope not - imagine trying to sync the console to a hypothetical online environment. Given the crapness of iTunes, it would more than likely wipe the console's memory and charge you for firmware upgrades...
 
georged said:
I hope not - imagine trying to sync the console to a hypothetical online environment. Given the crapness of iTunes, it would more than likely wipe the console's memory and charge you for firmware upgrades...
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I'm betting you run an iPod Touch on Windows.

Here's what has been happening up to this point. Apple wanted to offer iPhone users free software updates. According to a reading of certain accounting rules relating to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, items that gain significant new functionality after the sale—due to a firmware update, for instance—can't have the revenue recorded at the time of sale. The revenue is reported over a certain period of time, called subscription accounting. Since Apple planned to potentially offer new features in software updates, it records revenue from the sale if iPhones over a period of two years—the length of a standard carrier contract.

The reverse of this accounting happens for the iPod touch. Apple didn't want to stop reporting the revenue earned from sales of the iPod touch, possibly since Apple was aware it could start to eat into the revenue from click-wheel iPods. Since the company wanted to be able to report the revenue from all iPod sales all at once, Apple couldn't add significant new features to the iPod touch without charging some fee. When iPhone OS 1.1.3, 2.0 and 3.0 came out, iPod touch users who wanted to upgrade had to fork ever some dough—first $20 for 1.1.3, then $10 for 2.0 or 3.0; upgrading straight to 3.1 now only costs $5.
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Why they cannot simply charge 1p, is beyond me but that's why they have to charge for the iPod updates (because of the iPhone).
 
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I think an online coversation in a game would be something like this...

2 guys playing iFifa12...

Guy 1... "GOALLLL!!"

Guy 2... "oh, no fair, I was admiring the sleek minimal contours on the iConsole and was thinking how good it looks next to my iPhone and iMac..."

:D
 
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