Apple iPhone
Pro: Wide distribution
While the iPhone is only available on one carrier, that hasn’t stopped it from becoming the industry’s top selling smartphone. A stunning nine million units sold in the last three months of 2009 alone, bringing its total to well over 40 million.
Con: Network woes
That one carrier, unfortunately, is AT&T, which users have been complaining about for some time now. Service in big cities like New York and San Francisco is spotty at best, making some people wonder if the phone’s cool features are worth the frustrations.
AT&T’s exclusivity window is expected to end this year, though. And many analysts have predicted Apple will expand the iPhone’s reach to another carrier as well -- perhaps Verizon, the nation’s largest cellular provider -- which would give the iPhone another big sales boost, drawing in even more game developers.
Pro: Big games and big game makers
The iPhone has already stolen some big names (such as EA’s Neil Young and Blizzard’s Keith Lee) away from the traditional gaming industry and it’s tempting several others, including legendary id Software heavyweight John Carmack.In addition to creating several new franchises, like Flight Control and MyTown (which never would have found an audience with traditional gaming systems), the iPhone also has ports of several major console games, like Call of Duty and Rock Band. The current top-grossing app GTA: Chinatown Wars from console game maker Rockstar. This phone has serious momentum.
Google Android
Pro: Wider availability
Android devices are spread out among several networks, and some of them are finding an audience. While the Nexus One phone from Google has been a flop so far (selling less than 21,000 units in its first week), the Motorola Droid has sold much better. (The company and Verizon, which carries the model, won’t reveal exact figures.) There are also several non-phone devices that use Android, such as the Archos tablet, some smaller netbooks and upcoming eReaders. And all of those can run Android games.
"Unlike the iPhone, there are lots of telecom manufacturers who can use the Android system,"says Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets. "I think, in terms of numbers, you should expect a pretty big increase in penetration."
Con: No must-have games
While there are plenty of games out there for the Android, none has managed to break away from the pack. Bonsai Blast and Parallel Kingdom might be fun, but they're not generating much excitement. Without a real smash game or two, Android will be stuck playing second fiddle to the iPhone.
Con: Buzz is slow to build
The commercials for Droid raised a few eyebrows in the general public, but their lasting impact is questionable. Do a random sample of smartphone shoppers and the number of people familiar with the Android OS will be fairly small, particularly compared to those who know all about the iPhone.
Ultimately, though, Android-based phones are expected to be viable competitors to the iPhone -- and as the sales numbers grow, look for iPhone game developers to begin porting titles over and creating original ones for the platform.
That shift could happen sooner than you think. Developers learned one important lesson with the iPhone: Establishing an early foothold can be quite beneficial to the bottom line.
