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Phil Schiller: App Store has over 21,000 games, DS and PSP don't stack up

Apple lays the smack talk down

Phil Schiller: App Store has over 21,000 games, DS and PSP don't stack up
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Some extra features on the third generation iPod touch would have been nice, and the new version of iTunes is a distinct improvement, but Apple didn't have a huge amount to say at its big announcement last night.

It's always entertaining to hear how many zeros Apple has added to its iDevice statistics each month, however, and that part of the presentation was right up to scratch.

Steve Jobs announced the iPhone is now up to 30 million worldwide units sold, while Phil Schiller added that 20 million iPod touches are now out there.

In an interview with the New York Times, Jobs explained Apple's position on the iPod touch.

"Originally, we weren’t exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine,” says Jobs. “We started to market it that way, and it just took off. And now what we really see is it’s the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that’s the big draw."

Schiller backed up this opinion during his time on stage last night, pointing out that the App Store currently boasts 21,178 games, which he delighted in comparing to the PSP's 607 titles and 3,680 on the DS.

"They don't really stack up any more," Schiller concluded. Sounds like it's game on when PSP Minis launch in October. He might be right about the DS, though...

Spanner Spencer
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.