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Tablet Wars Heat Up: Apple/EA Reports, Kindle Games
by Chris Remo [PC, Console/PC]
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January 21, 2010
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The competition between large-screened portable devices is intensifying even before all the competition has been announced, as Amazon prepares to launch an SDK for its successful Kindle e-reader, and reporting on Apple's impending tablet device coalesces.
Apple is expected to unveil its long-awaited, heavily-rumored tablet during a press event on January 27. Today, Amazon said it will open up the Kindle to certain software developers next month, with full availability "later this year." Electronic Arts' EA Mobile label and social game developer Sonic Boom (Cro-Mag Rally, Big Top 10) are confirmed to be developing games for Kindle.
The Kindle SDK will include an PC-, Linux-, and Mac-based emulator allowing developers to simulate their code running on a Kindle device.
At first glance, the grayscale reading device, which does not include a touch screen or traditional four-way directional controls, seems like a poor fit to non-word-based games. Only one of the two currently available Kindle models includes an accelerometer.
The commercial success of the iPhone drove developers to overcome its own input limitations -- such as the complete lack of discrete usable buttons -- to host a thriving ecosystem of applications. Amazon may be banking on a similar phenomenon with its device, which it says has consistently maintained the top sales slot across its entire online storefront.
Apple itself will soon enter a similar, likely much higher-end, market segment, with its still-unannounced tablet device. While expected to be a more fully-fledged computing device, and thus not a direct competitor to the $259 Kindle, Apple's product may still compete for the same batch of consumer's dollars in the way its Mac laptops compete with smaller, more affordable netbooks.
And according to an extensive Wall St. Journal report on the device, Apple has been in talks with book and periodical publishers like The New York Times Company, Conde Nast Publications, and Wall St. Journal owner News Corp. about licensing newspaper and magazine content -- a key area for Kindle.
Apple has allegedly also had discussions with The New York Times about the possibility of selling Times content through iTunes. The New York Times recently announced it will be moving to a partially-paid content model online next year, and Apple's iTunes has long been the premiere venue for monetizing traditional media on the internet on a per-item basis.
But Apple's tablet is reportedly targeting video and game content as well, which could be one reason Amazon just announced its SDK. The Wall St. Journal claims Apple is working with Electronic Arts to "show off the tablet's game capabilities," and has spoken with CBS and Disney about licensing television content for subscriptions.
In the run-up to next week's Apple tablet announcement, speculation has arguably eclipsed that of the iPhone prior to its unveiling. And while none of the device's specifications have been confirmed, web reports suggest the tablet will be equipped with a 10- to 11-inch touch screen.
That's roughly an inch larger than the Kindle, measured diagonally, but the device is expected to be considerably more expensive due to its touch support, color screen, and more powerful horsepower under the hood, with a potential price tag of $1,000.
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What is your particular point of confusion? I specifically noted that they are different types of devices, but that they are likely to compete for the same consumer dollars anyway.
The sooner we get some competition going, the sooner we can expect more interesting games.
Then again, I support any idea that provides Emily Short with coinage.
@ Glenn: You're not old as dirt, you just have good taste. :)
Now, if the assumption is that the Kindle SDK means Amazon's going to try to figure out how to implement a color digital ink Kindle, then we'd be talking. But, from what I understand of the technology, that's not happening unless they pick a different tech or unless there have been some serious inroads in the last 2-3 years. If the former, it'll likely take them a year or more to redesign the Kindle to work with the new tech which puts them well behind the curve.
After all, you know once Apple puts out its tablet, PC makers are going to scramble to catch up. I know there are already PC tablets out there and they rely on Microsoft for their OS but Windows 7's supposed to have multi-touch support built in and the Surface has been out for a while now. PC makers have a very good opportunity to translate that into a solid competitor for the Apple tablet and then you'd have yourself a very interesting industry for games on tablets. Similar to the special effects in Quantum of Solace and the demos we've seen of the Surface (have you seen the D&D interface for it?), the potential for some interesting games is there.
Interactive Fiction definitely. Text and even basic RPGs could work fine in the vein of bards tale and other old school type interfaces.
multiplayer games like chess and other board games could also be doable.
I can't help but think that Amazon is doing this to keep the financial analysts happy. Pushing into App Store territory isn't a particularly good idea for most companies (and especially not companies who market a greyscale device with a slow refresh rate) but with the App Store having proven so successful for Apple, the market expects everyone to come up with their own variation on the theme: anyone who doesn't is immediately marked down as a loser.
It'll be interesting to see what Apple have done to make the tablet format more appealing to the mass market. If nothing else, it will be effectively competing against the rest of Apple's portable lineup - the iPhone/iPod Touch/MacBook...