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CGF'09: 'Mobile studios need to think beyond the iPhone'
Oct 29th 2009 at 14:15 by Will Freeman

Speaking at his session at today's Casual Games Forum, Finblade's chairman John Chasey has suggested that the focus of many mobile developers on the iPhone is misguided. To flourish and grow, he believes more studios need to look at taking their product to additional mobile platforms.
According to Chasey, the iPhone covers just one per cent of the total mobile gaming and application market; something he suggests is all to often forgotten.
Reminding delegates that the App Store is notoriously overcrowded, Chasey also suggested that the majority of studios that have created content for the App Store have not returned for a second title – something he believes means the opportunity for success the platform provides is 'certainly limited'.
"If your idea has worked on the iPhone, why not export it to wider platforms?" asked the chairman of the tech company and developer.
"The answer to that question is that there are so many different platforms, but by using new technology, and exporting as much as you can, you can reach a surprising number of platforms with reative ease."
"There is as many, if not more opportunities in the non-iPhone areas, because there's just less people looking at that area. If you don't look beyond the iPhone to more mobile platforms, you really are missing a trick there," he later added.
Chasey's perspective may come as a shock to a sector currently fascinated by the sensationally popular Apple gadget, but it certainly paints a positive picture for those looking to expand and succeed in a sub-sector where competition and discoverability are a constant challenge.
In the same session, Chasey revealed that when speaking to representative's of Vodaphone, the mobile company stated to hime that it would not have published the wildly popular Flight Control on mobiles as it would have deemed the concept 'too simple' for mobile platforms.
Martin Wilson
Oct 29th 2009 | 16:16
Mobile strategy – iPhone should factor but certainly not dominate.
Apple’s push into the mobile market has been interesting – some say a game change – they have certainly shaken the market up, but have they really delivered the results? If only they had sold as many devices as column inches that they have achieved.
There seems to have been a global obsession with the iPhone. From the moment of first launch back in the summer of 2007 the iPhone has been headling, the fixation still continues today. Apple has yet again demonstrated that it is a remarkable media machine. The iPhone receives a disproportionate amount of attention from the media, mobile industry and businesses alike.
Rather than being an explosive entrance the iPhone has seen a very steady growth to date and is likely to continue to do so. The iPhone today has very low single digit penetration in every market that it is sold. Since launch we believe that globally Apple has sold in the region of 34 million devices. If you are to factor in devices upgrades it could be safe to suggest that 2/3rd of those devices are active, or just over 20 million. In the UK that would mean less than 1 million active devices. Apple is a very small player.
More: http://www.indigo1...s/824
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