With the demand for the iPhone soaring worldwide, Apple's business strategy seems to be paying off, yet games guru John Carmack would not approve of the company's mobile gaming strategy. Carmack's id Software and Fountainhead Entertainment recently formed id Mobile to provide superior quality games to the mobile market. Carmack believes that Steve Jobs' strategy in the market may negatively affect the iPod and iPhone's future in gaming.
He pointed out that there are between ten and twenty times the number of mobile phones in use in the world today than computers, and more than 100 times more mobile phones in use than gaming consoles. Carmack believes that mobile gaming could eclipse conventional gaming platforms, but admits it would be no easy task.
"We've certainly been looking at it but Steve Jobs and I have not been seeing really eye to eye on a lot of important issues," Carmack told GameDaily BIZ in an interview. "We were in a fairly heated argument at the last WWDC and we've had a few follow-ups. I have an iPhone right now and it's a platform I would enjoy developing for but Apple is not taking progressive steps in regards to [gaming]. Their strategy seems to be working just fine from a business standpoint, so I'm not going to second guess them and tell them they're being fools or idiots for not focusing on this."
He went on further: "The honest truth right now is that Apple's not exactly hugely supportive of this. When they finally allowed games to be put on the iPod... in many ways it's one of the worst environments to develop games for. You have to work on an emulator... just all these horrible decisions. I expressed my fears directly to Steve Jobs that some of these mistakes might be carried over to the iPhone, so they're at least aware of all of them, but they're not giving any spectacular signs that it's going to be a big deal for them in the next year."
Source:
Electronista
"We've certainly been looking at it but Steve Jobs and I have not been seeing really eye to eye on a lot of important issues," Carmack told GameDaily BIZ in an interview. "We were in a fairly heated argument at the last WWDC and we've had a few follow-ups. I have an iPhone right now and it's a platform I would enjoy developing for but Apple is not taking progressive steps in regards to [gaming]. Their strategy seems to be working just fine from a business standpoint, so I'm not going to second guess them and tell them they're being fools or idiots for not focusing on this."
He went on further: "The honest truth right now is that Apple's not exactly hugely supportive of this. When they finally allowed games to be put on the iPod... in many ways it's one of the worst environments to develop games for. You have to work on an emulator... just all these horrible decisions. I expressed my fears directly to Steve Jobs that some of these mistakes might be carried over to the iPhone, so they're at least aware of all of them, but they're not giving any spectacular signs that it's going to be a big deal for them in the next year."
Source:
Electronista
