苹果依然是移动游戏市场老大

    对于充斥着海量免费游戏的移动游戏领域来说，成功的关键在于创造收入。虽然10-65岁的美国人口中使用三星手机的数量超过使用iPhone手机的数量：26% vs. 25%，但是在移动游戏方面，苹果比三星更为成功。沃曼表示，如果只看1.29亿游戏玩家和5800万美国移动游戏玩家这两个数字，iPhone用户比例分别为35%和45%。沃曼说：“虽然手机用户的绝对数量较少，但是苹果游戏玩家用户数量是三星的两倍。”

    说到苹果在游戏领域的地位，有必要看看iPhone、iPad和iPod Touch。苹果在iPod Touch方面没有对手，许多父母为了让孩子玩游戏和应用软件，专门为孩子购买iPod Touch，不用承担高额的智能手机费用。苹果在这方面的统治地位来源于它对苹果应用商店的成功控制。沃曼认为，三星避免发布有竞争力的产品，因为没有与苹果应用商店抗衡的产品，新产品也只是低利润的硬件。

    “由于苹果产品的屏幕尺寸相对固定且变化有限，开发商发布在iOS系统上运行的一两个版本的游戏就能获得较大的市场份额，”沃曼说。“为了从Google Play发布游戏获得收益，开发商必须开发更多的游戏版本，从而适应不同的设备和屏幕尺寸。这对于集中精力开发新游戏和优化游戏设置与商业模式的开发商而言，不是最理想的状态。”

    这正是迅速增长的移动游戏公司Supercell不急于让iOS系统运行的游戏《部落战争》（Clash of Clans）和《卡通农场》（Hay Day）进驻安卓设备的原因。这两款游戏每天从850万iOS游戏玩家获得的收入超过2,400万美元。就连Rovio和及其常见游戏《愤怒的小鸟》（Angry Birds）也登录了iOS系统，借助苹果应用商店冲到游戏排名的首位。

    沃曼表示，开发商蜂涌选择和坚持与苹果合作的原因在于，苹果对付费游戏玩家拥有超级覆盖率。例如，富裕的家庭通常购买苹果设备。消费者坚持购买苹果产品的原因在于iOS系统可使用的独家游戏的数量。这种生态系统为苹果形成了积极的反馈回路。

    苹果与中国移动公司（China Mobile）的潜在交易有望给苹果增加7亿中国用户，苹果在亚洲市场正在追赶三星。说到移动手机市场，沃曼认为，由于亚马逊（Amazon）能够提供无缝支付体验和苹果所拥有的货币水平，这使亚马逊成为苹果唯一的竞争对手。即使亚马逊提供免费智能手机的传言成为现实，苹果仍然是优胜者。

    沃曼说：“免费的亚马逊手机给三星造成的影响更大，因为它们依靠硬件获得利润。” “如果苹果手机比亚马逊的免费手机更酷更炫，人们还是会购买苹果产品，”沃曼指出，从价格因素严格考虑，选择智能手机对消费者而言是一个非常私人的决定。“苹果每年从苹果应用商店获得数十亿美元的佣金收入。此外，苹果也是内容开发商的移动平台首选，这个市场的不断细分也会增加苹果的收益。”

    虽然产品更新将对苹果起到重要作用，但是苹果显然稳占移动游戏市场的统治地位。新硬件创新对史蒂夫•乔布斯打造的公司只是锦上添花。（财富中文网）

    译者：乔树静/汪皓

    The key to success in the mobile game, which is extremely crowded and overrun with free-to-play games, is generating revenue. Apple has had more success than Samsung in this arena, despite the fact that a slightly higher share of Americans between ages 10 and 65 use a Samsung phone than an iPhone: 26% vs. 25%. Warman said those iPhone users grow to 35% when looking at the market share among 129 million mobile gamers and 45% if only focusing on the 58 million American paying mobile gamers. "Ultimately, Apple reaches twice the number of paying mobile gamers than Samsung, despite having a lower absolute number of device users," said Warman.

    When looking at Apple's power position in the games space, it's important to look iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Apple has no competition with the iPod Touch, which many parents buy for their children specifically to play games and apps without dealing with the high costs of a smartphone. Apple's dominance in this arena stems from the fact that it maintains control of a successful App Store. Warman believes Samsung has refrained from launching a competitive product because without an established App Store equivalent, it only represents a low-margin piece of hardware to it.

    "Because of Apple's relatively closed nature and limited variety in screen dimensions, developers can publish one or two versions of their game on iOS and reach a large share of the market," said Warman. "To benefit from publishing on Google Play, developers must create many more versions of their games to cater for varying devices and screen sizes. This isn't ideal for developers who'd rather focus their effort on localizing their game into new territories and optimizing gameplay and business models."

    That's why a fast-growing mobile game company like Supercell has been in no rush to port its hit iOS games Clash of Clans and Hay Day to Android devices. Those two games are generating over $2.4 million in revenue a day from its 8.5 million iOS gamers. Even Rovio and its now-ubiquitous Angry Birds franchise launched on iOS and catapulted to the top of the games space with the help of the App Store.

    Warman said developers flock to, and stick with, Apple because of its superior reach of paying gamers. Apple devices tend to be owned by more affluent households, for example. Consumers stick with Apple because of the number of exclusive games available on iOS. This ecosystem creates a positive feedback loop for Apple.

    With Apple adding 700 million Chinese subscribers with a possible China Mobile deal, the company is also trying to keep up with Samsung in Asia. When looking at the mobile gaming market, Warman believes Amazon (AMZN) is the only competitor that can even come close to Apple because it can offer a seamless payment experience and the level of monetization that Apple has. But even if rumors of Amazon offering a free smartphone come true, Apple could still be in the winner's circle.

    "A free Amazon phone will hurt Samsung more because they rely on hardware margins for profit," said Warman. "If Apple devices are cooler than the free one at Amazon, people will buy an Apple." Warman noted that choosing a smartphone is too personal a decision for consumers to make strictly on price considerations. "Apple will benefit from the increased fragmentation in the marketplace, remaining the mobile platform of choice for content developers, while earning billions of dollars in App Store commission income each year."

    While a refresh will play an important role for Apple, the company is certainly in the driver's seat in the mobile game. And innovation in new hardware will only help the company that Steve Jobs built.