Sony Playstation Suite for Android Serves Only As A Reminder to Apple It Can't Stand Still, Not A Threat

In one of my tweets from the live Sony Play Event just now, and yes, the main focus was the Play and not the other Xperia devices, I mentioned that Verizon will be adding the Play to its arsenal this Spring. And with the iPhone and Droid, Verizon will have quite an all-star lineup. And dispite this addition, I only mentioned Droid as being screwed in all of this.

Why? First, Droid is Droid. Hefty device and specs-wise, it's at the top. However, it is not a particularly well built device. I know some folks will disagree. I think its appeal has been somewhat limiting because of its image. It's why Verizon desperately needed the iPhone.

With Playstation Suite coming to Android and now Sony's dedicated gaming mobile phone, Play, it will appeal to the same crowd that were attracted to Droid to begin with. It's unlike to have any impact on iPhone adoption on the Verizon network and certainly it is no threat to the iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4G if Apple releases an LTE version) when it's available.

The iPhone is a mass appeal device that just works. And as gaming goes, it can hold its own with its A4 chip and whatever else that is certainly more powerful in the next generation of iPhone. And it'll have the same games that 3rd party developers will have for the Playstation Suite. So, users who want the best of both worlds, mobile experience with gaming, will not be missing out. Developers would be crazy to ignore the iOS platform.

Still, Apple does need to be reminded from time to time that it has to continue to innovate. And I know that Apple's vision quite different from other tech companies in that it is continuing to out-innovate its previous products, I am sure Steve Jobs and company are keeping an eye on what others are doing.

It's likely to use a few hardcore gamers to the Play. There is nothing that Apple can do about that on the basis that the Play has gaming buttons where the iPhone needs on-screen controls. Still, with more powerful chips and graphics in the iPhone, better display, and other changes to the iOS (such as improved Game Center, I hope), Apple will continue to draw the larger gaming crowd.

With the Play, Sony, who is losing in the mobile battle, is going all in by bringing its Playstation brand into the fight. It'll find some success but on a larger scale, Apple will continue to dominate the mobile experience if it continues to innovate at the pace it's been in the last couple of years. The Play is no threat to the iOS ecosystem so long as Apple keeps true to its vision.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch