Apple is a tech company famous for its iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more. But Apple also has deep ties to gaming.
The relationship between Apple and games is explained by the YouTube channel ‘Apple Explained’, which is detailed regarding Apple.
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What is the deep connection between Apple and games?
In 1974, Steve Jobs was working as a night shift engineer at Atari when he was asked to help create a game called “Breakout.” And with the help of his friend Steve Wozniak, he completes the game.
Apple is born here. The two later developed a prototype of the Apple I computer and founded Apple Computer in 1976.
Then, in July 1976, the Apple I computer was launched in July 1976, mainly funded by the profit from the sale of Jobs’ VW Microbus and Woz’s HP-65 calculator.
This computer is a built-in motherboard and TV ready. This specification was a novel concept at the time.
A year later, Jobs and Woz released several cassette games for the Apple I. The Apple I was an important step forward for home computers and computer games.
Jobs started Apple while working for Atari. As such, he must have been heavily influenced by the game.
In 1977, the Apple II was released and shocked the world. The Apple II was marketed as a “ready to play” home computer, not just for work.
You can play “Breakout” on Apple II. In addition, it was equipped with color graphics, speakers, and paddle controller circuits. This was a big step forward for personal games and game designers around the world started taking notice.
Over time, games, accessories, and storage technology upgrades were developed for the Apple II, Apple II Plus, Apple IIe, and Apple IIc computers.
The next decade of games included text and graphic adventures like Mystery House, RPGs like Castle Wolfenstein and Ultima, and sports games like John Madden Football. did.
Introduced in 1986, the Apple IIGS, with its powerful 16-bit microprocessor, began to sweep out graphics and audio competitors such as Atari and Commodore.
At this point, it seemed as though the Apple II tradition of building computers that might be used for work or play would remain central to the company. However, Apple soon turned its attention from the Apple series to the Macintosh and completely changed its approach to gaming.
As computer games became popular, problems began to arise with cross-platform software compatibility.
Even in the 1990s, the large share of the Windows game software market made it difficult to sell Mac game software on store shelves.
Popular games like Myst, released in 1993, were dominated by the Macintosh platform, but soon came out with a Windows version and were no longer associated with the Apple brand.
Apple needed a new approach to gaming to keep up with its competitors.
Therefore, in 1996, Pippin Atmark, a game machine jointly developed by Bandai Digital Entertainment and Apple, will be released.
This console was CD-powered, had a wireless controller and internet connectivity, and was pretty impressive for its time.
At the time of release, 18 games were released, including ‘Gundam Tactics’, ‘Mr. Potato Head Saves Veg Valley’, and ‘Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia’.
However, the Pippin at Mark was a complete underwhelming product for its unique features. The downside of Pippin at Mark is the price. Surprisingly, the price is 600 dollars (regarding 86,000 yen).
In addition, it had regarding half the processing power of other game consoles of the time, and was slow both online and offline.
Apple initially produced 100,000 units, but only 42,000 units were sold and production was discontinued. To put it bluntly, the Pippin at Mark was a failure for Apple.
Apple learns this lesson and rethinks its relationship with gaming.
And with the release of the iPod, the situation improved greatly. iPod users were initially able to play games such as Music Quiz, Solitaire and Brick.
In 2006, with the release of iTunes 7, 5th generation iPod users were able to purchase nine games for their device. Initially, these games were called “clickwheel games” because they were simple things to play using the iPod’s clickwheel interface.
And with the iPod’s touchscreen technology and improved graphics, even more gaming options are available. These early iPod games, such as Tetris, Bejeweled, Zuma, and Mahjong, are credited with triggering Apple’s most marketable experience in gaming.
As the iPod evolved, so did the games, and third-party developers such as EA and Sega quickly began creating new software that users were addicted to. Unbeknownst to Jobs at the time, this was the beginning of a new era in the gaming industry and the rise of “casual games.”
Many gaming companies produce computers and consoles for gamers with advanced processing power, high-quality graphics cards, and great sound. On the other hand, Apple’s strategy of offering some games to users of Apple products was a very different model from many other companies.
In 2008, Apple announced the release of the App Store and things really kicked into gear.
Initially, there were 500 apps offered on the App Store, regarding a quarter of which might be downloaded for free. Not surprisingly, many of the apps were classic iPod-style, simple, easy, and uncompetitive games.
Gaming apps quickly climbed to the top of the charts, officially ushering in the era of casual gaming. The App Store changed Apple’s relationship with people’s games.
In 2017, the App Store had approximately 2.2 million apps with over 130 billion downloads. This market was taken over by the iPod and later by the iPhone. This allowed Apple to make huge profits even though it didn’t make consoles or games.
Apple failed with its own game console, but in the end this may have been good for Apple. If Apple’s game consoles had been successful and Steve Jobs had gone that route, the iPhone might not have existed. Apple’s current success is made up of many failures.
