Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is speaking up about his thoughts on Apple and their potential impact on Nintendo, calling Apple their “enemy of the future”.

Anyone who’s ever visited the App Store is already aware of the plethora of games available for iPhone/iPod touch and now, iPad.  Up until now, the big guys in the physical console business had stayed pretty quiet.  But it appears Nintendo is changing their tune.  Iwata is believed to have told his senior executives to consider the battle with Sony a victory already won and to switch their focus to something different.  That something different would be Apple.

No one can deny Apple’s impact on the gaming industry.  As of right now, there are over 180,000 apps in the iTunes app store.  Around 30,000 of those apps are games.  With the addition of the iPad, we can only assume that number will continue to climb upward.  As consumers decide on handheld gaming devices, an iPhone/iPod Touch or iPad is just as worthy of a contender as a DS or PSP these days.  Nintendo had intended for the DS to capture audiences other than the typical male gamer stereotype, but as Times Online states,

The company's recent strategy has centred on creating devices aimed not just at children and dedicated — generally male — gamers, but at the whole family. Two years ago, the company claimed to have permanently altered the demographics of video games by raising the average age and the gender mix of gamers. Unfortunately, the very people it claimed to have converted — high-school girls and men aged between 30 and 40 — reported that they would rather have an iPhone than a DS in their pockets or handbags.

Developers are really what make the app store so successful at the end of the day.  From a development standpoint, the startup costs aren’t insane and most development companies are seeing a large return on those investments.  Many larger gaming companies have also developed iPhone OS versions of their games that have done extremely well, such as Gameloft.  And for the end consumer, when the average price of an iPhone app is $3 while a console game costs above $20, most people may opt for having more games at a cheaper price.

At this point, it’s only wise for Nintendo to consider Apple a valid competitor.

[MacRumors, via Times Online]

Nintendo calls Apple “Enemy of the Future” is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Nokia has just filed a second patent infringement suit against Apple, adding the iPad into the mix. The new suit covers:

five patents related to “enhanced speech and data transmission, using positioning data in applications and innovations in antenna configurations that improve performance and save space, allowing smaller and more compact devices.” [...] by our count, Apple and Nokia now have some five pending legal actions between them, including one that’s been placed on hold pending an ITC decision.

This one has been filed in a so-called “rocket-docket” which means, unlike previous suits, it could go to trial in less than a year.

Now we’ll just sit back, grab some popcorn with our good friends over at NokiaExperts.com, and wait for Apple to counter-sue. Again.

[Engadget]

Nokia adds iPad, more iPhone to lawsuit again Apple is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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TiPb’s new iPad Live! podcast needs equally new theme music. Since we have no musical talent to speak of, we need your help, and since we need your help, we’re making it a contest and are offering you an awesome iPad accessory prize pack!

Here’s what you need to do to enter:

1. Watch the video after the break.
2. Go out and make and/or remix us (copyright-free sources only!) a new theme song for iPad Live!
3. Record it and upload it to YouTube as a video response to the contest video below.
4. Remember, no copyrighted material!

Leave a video reply below with your copyright-free theme music entry (make it yourself or remix copyright-free content) and we’ll pick our favorite, most rocking, most iPadtastic as the winner.

Here’s the prize pack:

• An iPad case from the TiPb iPad Accessory Store
• A stereo Bluetooth headset from the TiPb iPad Accessory Store
• A Joule stand for iPad from Element Case

That’s over $200 in prizes, and we reserve the right to ad more, so what are you waiting for? Watch the video and get to work on on your video response!

YouTube link

Contest: Create theme music for iPad Live!, win fabulous prizes is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

As part of their larger, 9 country international iPad rollout on May 28, Apple announced today that the iBooks app and iBookstore service will also become available in many of those countries.

Publication rights often vary by region (for example, Harry Potter has different publishers in North America than it does in the UK) and it’s an understatement to call the situation a mess. So, it’s good to see Apple making headway.

Given how slow iTunes TV and Movies have been offered internationally, however, the entertainment industry should still feel shame and hopefully this adds impetus towards simplifying and — frankly — modernizing the way these licenses and rights are handled internationally.

Back on-topic: who’s excited for iBooks? Anyone going to switch over from Kindle? Or is it just an easy gateway to getting those 30,000 Project Gutenberg titles onto your iPad (and later this year, iPhone)?

[Apple]

iBooks and iBookstore for iPad going international on May 28 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Apple has announced that the iPad will go on sale in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on Friday, May 28. Online pre-orders, as previously announced, begin May 10.

Pricing:

• iPad is available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £429 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £499 (inc. VAT) for 32GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and £529 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 32GB and £699 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

• iPad is available in Canada for a suggested retail price of $549 (CAN) for 16GB, $649 (CAN) for 32GB, $749 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and $679 (CAN) for 16GB, $779 (CAN) for 32GB and $879 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

Orange, Vodafone, and O2 in the UK and Rogers in Canada have also announced they’ll be providing data plans for iPad Wi-Fi + 3G, but likewise haven’t offered any pricing details yet.

If you’re in one of those countries, let us know your plan. Already bought a US iPad? Going to pre-order on the 10th? Line up at an Apple store on the 28th? Or still making up your mind?

[Apple]

iPad hits Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on May 28 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Apple announced today that the iPad, already released in the US and scheduled for a wider release internationally in May, will be coming to Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July.

No word on pre-orders or pricing yet, but Apple says that’s coming at a later date.

If you’re in one of those countries — are you waiting for late July, did you get a US model already, or are you still waiting to be sold on the iPad?

[Apple]

iPad coming in July for Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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snes4iPhone, the Super Nintendo emulator for Jailbreak, was captured running on an iPad — using a Wii remote to control your character.  Most people familiar to jailbreaking and running snes4iPhone already know how awesome it is to be able to carry your old favorites around on your iPhone.  Who doesn’t love Mario and old school Nintendo games? Better yet, who wouldn’t want it on their iPad?! Being able to do it on your iPad is even more awesome!  Of course, this is only for jailbroken users.

So if you’re interested in jailbreaking, jump over to our jailbreak forums or check out our new Spirit tutorial to get your jailbreak up and running.  Spirit currently works with any iPhone or iPod touch running 3.1.3 and any iPad running 3.2.  Even if you don’t have an iPad, sns4iPhone [$5.99 - Cydia link] is still a great buy for the iPhone as well.

And the normal disclaimer, if the thought of the jailbreak process frightens you, you may want to pass on this one.  Video after the break!

[via Touch Arcade]

YouTube link

Super Nintendo running on a jailbroken iPad via snes4iPhone! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple has updated their WWDC 2010 page to indicate that their yearly developer-centric event has sold out. In 8 days.

Wow, that was fast.

WWDC takes place June 7-11 in San Francisco and, if the patterns established over the last three years holds true, the next generation iPhone will be announced during the Keynote, along with the information about the final version of iPhone OS 4.

Apple’s WWDC 2010: sold out is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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