Apple entering the console market?

[acromyth]

Huge rumor http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/749/749530p1.html

I don't know why people are only NOW reporting on this, I've known about Apple doing this kind of hiring for over a year

But anyway,even though I'm partial to Apple, I think this would suck. Four different console competing? Is there any room? I don't think Apple could just come into the market, it's pretty crowded. Also, how in the world would they secure many good games, let alone any exclusives. I imagine that would be hard to do. I don't think Apple should make a console, because it would probably not work out in the long run, and shit, how can you top the 360 (Perfect controler, solid online, good support, and tons of exclusives)?

Thoughts?

[AugustusBot]

A year ago i'd kick my own ass for saying this... but... somewhere between then and now I became an XBOX fanboi.

You can't top the 360. The 360 is amazing.

[acromyth]

zactly

[TwoXist]

I aggree a Apple console would be useless.

[Nekro Neko]

They'd call it the iConsole or something silly.

[Fanappy]

iPlay

[TwoXist]

Ilame

[Fanappy]

iSuck?!?

meh im totally off apple now just wish Zunes were avaliable in the UK my iTunes went and screwed itself lost loads of albums and podcasts and picture ugh so very gay!!!

although a few yrs back who would have though M$ could have made a system to rival nintendo and sony

[TwoXist]

"One MS to rule them all" lol

[acromyth]

yea it would definitely be pointless... too crowded for more competition. it wuld be crazy if we had like, PS4, Xbox 720, Nintendo FuckStick, iMachine and Dreamcast REVOLUTION hhaha.... too many

but dude, apple still kicks all kinds of ass, sorry haha... i just got a free iPod yesterday because i wanted to change colors, so i traded it in.. apple has the best customer service no doubt. its the second free iPod i've gotten.

[hastrong]

Originally Posted by acromyth

yea it would definitely be pointless... too crowded for more competition. it wuld be crazy if we had like, PS4, Xbox 720, Nintendo FuckStick, iMachine and Dreamcast REVOLUTION hhaha.... too many

Here's how I see it this generation: You have Microsoft with a solid offering in the 360, Nintendo being Nintendo with it's own self-selected demographic, and Sony failing to really appeal strongly to anyone and probably leaving the market. MS really will be without a direct competitor shortly, leaving some headroom for Apple to enter.

Apple and MS really are much the same here. They're both genuine platform companies, in that they already have the skills to integrate hardware and software (whether direct or third-party) into a coherent, full-featured sytem. Now, whether it's a computer system, game console, smart phone, music player, media center or other sort of system, it's rare to find such a combination of capabilities in the tech industry.

This is precisely the area where Sony is falling down now. Not only did they do a very poor job of system hardware integration with the PS3, but the system software and online components are clearly a disaster at present The software for the music players (connect) has also been an unmitigated failure. There's very little evidence that I can see that Sony "gets" software or the general process of building a platform.

Apple, being a platform company, has an overall suite of products to defend and extend, and what better way to accomplish that than to plant another Trojan horse in the living room? It plays games, has Frontrow (or whatever they call it), works with your Ipod and downloads content of all sorts from iTMS. It's called iPlay.

They'll "get" the same lessons that MS understands: Build a competent game console, try to make a profit on the gaming operation, and bundle only those extra capabilities (such as movie/music playback) that can come at a minimal cost delta.

[Curry]

Originally Posted by hastrong

Apple and MS really are much the same here.

Apple doesn't have a budget comparable to the average medium-sized country though. Microsoft spent over 4 billion dollar (!!!) to get a foothold in the market with Xbox 1.

Also, Apple works in a different way. Microsoft is a company that works For The Masses. Let other people do the inventing, let Microsoft make it fit for mass consumption. That's what they did with Windows, Office, Zune and Xbox: wait for others to make the market, then spend a few billion to exploit it. Apple on the other hand has to work on their old adagiums of wannahave styling. They neither have Sony's 100 million installed base, Microsoft's war budget, nor Nintendo's fame and history. What would they do? Suck at graphics because they can't afford to lose millions in hardware? They'd have to try a Wii, innovate in style or gimmicks. And given that they're not Nintendo and they haven't played this market for 20 years yet, they'd fail. Miserably.

In the end it'd be like all Apple products: the user interface would be cool and innovative, and make you want to use it right away. But then the games would suck and widespread adoption would not happen.

[Machera]

With everything that Apple has announced at CES I think they are in sync with Microsoft and their plan to take over the Home Living room.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16563424/

This imo covers the new Zune. I have not purchased a Zune as I have an iPod and after playing with several Zunes I do not feel as though it has anything new to offer.

iPod, sorry it rocks and if you don't think so it doesn't really matter. The numbers for iPod speaks for itself.

The new iPhone will decimate the cell phone market where there are almost 956 million phones out there? That is fucking insane, even if they get 1% of that market that’s still a crap load of Asians.

Video games are now being sold on the iPod as well. They aren’t the coolest games in the world but I guarantee people are buying them.

iTV was just announced too, looks like its right in line with Microsoft’s IPTV.

http://www.i4u.com/article7605.html

iPhone, iPod, iTV, add the Mac and a new Video game console you have exactly what Microsoft is putting on the table, but in a Stylish innovative creation. Microsoft however doesn't offer its own PC if I am mistaken.

P.S. If you haven’t looked at the new iPhone, take the time and look at everything it offers. It’s a bit pricey but a very nice product.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

[Curry]

All big CE companies are racing for control on the living room. Besides Microsoft and Apple there's Sony, Intel, Philips etc., sometimes cooperating, sometimes fighting. As long as there's no corporate winner the consumer comes out best

[Machera]

Exactly. It seemed that for the past 10 years or so Microsoft was taking things over as far as electronics were concerned, ala monopoly law suit. Now with Apple making huge leaps into the living room Microsoft will be forced to either put out a better product or flood the market with crap and hope that some thing hits.

[acromyth]

Well, it's tough for me, I'm pretty much a Apple and Microsoft fanboy, kind of an odd combination there.

shit, apple still shouldnt come in... too crowded man. if they are planning already, which they should be if they are coming out in the next gen (that is, the one after THIS one that we are at now), they are going to have a hard time making predictions. This is a lot harder of a market to break into now. After microsfot became the new comer with the Xbox I think any company, even my beloved Apple, would make a mistake trying to make another console.


sorry, my english is fucked these days