In our last edition of Pachter's Podium, Michael Pachter stated that he believed Apple would be launching a games platform (possibly leveraging Apple TV to do so) by 2012 or 2013. Now reports from the U.K. [via Telegraph] indicate that Apple is working on a new tablet device that would have functionality quite similar to Apple TV while also acting as a gaming console.
One anonymous analyst apparently told Barron's that he'd already seen a prototype of the so called MacBook Touch device, which features a 10-inch touch-screen and essentially feels like an oversized iPod touch. The device, similar to Apple TV, would be used as a home media hub for streaming all sorts of music and video content and it would also work as a games console. Some believe the new tablet could compete directly with Amazon's Kindle ebook reader as well. The new Apple device could launch as early as this Fall for around $800.
Although Apple won't comment of course, the device is so far along apparently that tablet PC makers are now just waiting to anticipate Apple's next move. "It's close enough now to a final design that in Asia, there's no other product in the waiting room or in the bullpen," said the analyst. "There are dozens of [original device makers] making products for Lenovo and other PC makers that are all waiting to see what the Apple product is."
If this news proves to be true, it could be absolutely huge for Apple and game developers. Just as with the iPhone and iPod Touch, it would seem that Apple's not specifically positioning the device as a gaming platform first and foremost, but assuming it has similar App Store functionality, developers could soon flood the platform with all sorts of interesting applications and games. The App Store has practically revolutionized mobile games development - there's no reason to think it can't do something similar for gaming in the living room.
3 Comments
August 4, 2009
So again, this article's title is misleading. It's like saying the iphone is a gaming device that also makes calls. It's also an email device, a remote, a medical database, and a host of other things.
The tablet, which has been known about in patents for at least 2-3 years, is a multifunctional computer, not a game console as Pachter claimed nor is it a new gaming platform.
It is a hybrid of existing technologies and future tech (like MSFT's touch table) that have been in public view for a number of years.
Geez, sensationalize much?
August 4, 2009
I don't think it's sensational. The iPhone IS a gaming device. Is that how Apple is positioning it? No. But developers have flocked to the platform like crazy, making it a very viable games platform. This rumored tablet device could be viewed in the same light.
August 4, 2009
Games are a large part of the iPhone platform and there isn't any reason why a media device designed for the living room can be similar.
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