In one hand the market is discussing a shift to ‘ubiquitous’ technology and adopting ‘bring your own’, BYO, to allow people to make use of their favorite devices, and presumably interfaces, while on the other hand the two device platforms that are likely to be most popular will ‘lock down’ choices. Is this good or bad?

You have to admit that Apple introduced a real game change, and I don’t mean with their products, though it’s fair to say that sequentially the iPod, iPhone and iPad can all be described this way. No, I mean the App Shop, the real power that underlies and enables all these successful products, and even after all this time is the unbeatable foundation that any competitive tablet maker has to take on. Android is the only real challenger right now, especially if HP does pack up and go away, though Microsoft is waiting to unveil its move into the tablet market. But both these challengers recognizably come from the traditional technology go-to-market approach, and Apple is very different with its App Shop as a personal consumer buy.

So is Amazon the real competitor with its new Kindle Fire tablet? Its appeal is to the consumer, the very market that Apple commands, its launch material constantly referenced Apple’s iPad, and it’s cheaper. I suspect that Fire will be the mass employee equivalent of the iPad to the executive manager and that it’s going to be appearing on your site chasing after your connectivity and services shortly. It’s a more powerful beast than it might seem. Sure it’s all about, and subsidized by, getting the consumer directed straight onto Amazon to buy their vast range of products with the same ease as buying books with a Kindle, and seems likely to succeed in this, but take a look at the Silk browser.

Amazon Web Services has taken the role of holding optimized versions of thousands of websites to make them really fast for an Amazon Fire user on their Silk browser. Amazon says these are ‘popular’ websites – well they certainly will be to a Fire user in preference to a site offering the same ‘products’ or ’services’ which Amazon doesn’t consider popular! In comparison, Apple directs you to ‘products’ and ’services’ that are in the Apple App Store, same end result in both cases; the device, operating system (even though in Fire it’s a version of Android), and connections all direct you to a ‘favored’ set of sites, or apps.

So, on one hand the market is discussing a shift to ‘ubiquitous’ technology and adopting ‘bring your own’, BYO, to allow people to make use of their favorite devices, and presumably interfaces, while on the other hand the two device platforms that are likely to be most popular will ‘lock down’ choices. Is this good or bad? Apple has successfully introduced a proven sense of ‘reliability’ to the users that there are none of the technology problems that they fear to stop them making widespread use of the many services on offer in the Apple App store, something that the more diverse Android market has yet to achieve. Being a ‘controlled’ environment, it’s safe too, i.e. Apple acts as a central control on apps being submitted for the App Store and ensures no malware and viruses are present, and the model allows developers to build and sell small highly-focused apps in a manner that would be difficult otherwise, thus encouraging new innovative moves.

We can’t be sure yet how the Amazon approach will turn out but it seems to me that it is going to focus on those websites that are selling B2C through Amazon and as such will boost online commerce even further. However, these are visible effects that Apple has produced and Amazon may bring into the market, but the bigger picture for the software industry and CIOs is less clear. Will we see a stronger split between enterprise IT where the application is sold to the enterprise with a corporate business case, and user, meaning employee, use of software and tools shifting at the skilled end to be more like a mechanic, or carpenter, or any number of other skilled craftsman role, where they supply their own tools?

In the enterprise software market, how it is deployed and charged may change towards ’services’ and ‘as a service’ on consumption but the answer to the who develops, markets, deploys and maintains looks likely to be recognizable around what we know today. On the employee side all those iPads in the executive managers’ hands are already being used for relatively personal focuses to improve their working capabilities and skills in their enterprise roles, a good example of the management mantra of employing intelligent people and encouraging them to be ‘entrepreneurial’.
So is ‘bring your own’ really a move to encourage on the basis that it will allow an increasing number of employees to behave this way for the benefit of the enterprise? Will really innovative and differentiated software that can make a difference in unique, strongly-focused, specialized areas come by this route? And will Amazon Fire bring this to another and larger group of enterprise employees? The introduction of the PC radicalized the design, development and deployment of software in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and there is no reason to think that tablets (and smartphones which are really increasingly smaller versions of tablets) won’t do the same! Indeed, why would they carry on with the current model when the tablet is such a revolution in every other aspect?

Source:http://pcquest.ciol.com/content/techtrends/2011/111101101.asp

The number of programs in video game design, development and programming continues to rise at American colleges, universities, art and trade schools across the country.

According to new research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), American colleges and universities will offer 343 programs in game design, development and programming, including 301 undergraduate and 42 graduate programs, during the 2011-12 academic year.

“It is encouraging to see so many institutions of higher learning preparing students for careers in our creative and high-tech industry,” said Rich Taylor, senior VP for communications and industry affairs at the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “Video games are everywhere nearly three quarters of American households play games, and education, healthcare and business professionals are using them to help us lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. With an increasing number of schools now offering graduate programs in game design and development, students have even greater access to the training they need to meet this growing demand.” Students interested in game design and development careers can choose from a broad range of degrees and geographic options. Schools offer programs ranging from professional certificates and associate degrees to master’s degrees and doctorate programs. This year’s list includes graduate programs such as the Game Design and Development program at Rochester Institute of Technology, the Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development program at Southern Methodist University, the Game Development program at DePaul University and the Serious Game Design Program at Michigan State University.

According to Entertainment Software Association, 45 states and the District of Columbia are home to schools offering design and development programs. California remains at the forefront of this educational field, with 54 institutions of higher learning offering game-related programs, followed by Texas (24), Illinois (20), Florida (18), New York (15), Minnesota (14), Massachusetts (13), Arizona (10), Michigan (10), and Pennsylvania (10).

The continued growth of video game programs coincides with the overall growth of the entertainment software industry, and the increasing role of games in daily life. Computer and video game sales in 2010 totaled $25.1 billion and game companies now directly and indirectly employ more than 120,000 people in 34 states. According to the ESA’s 2011 Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry report, 72 percent of American households now play computer and video games. Reaching beyond entertainment, computer and video games are helping teachers bring 21st century technology to the classroom, improving healthcare outcomes and allowing business professionals to hone their skills.

The Entertainment Software Association is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the E3 Expo, business and consumer research, federal and state government relations, First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts.

Source:http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2011/08/22/5720419.htm

n announcing December sales numbers today, electronics retailer Best Buy said a significant sales drop in the entertainment software category sales was “driven primarily by a decrease in gaming.”

Soft sales in music and movies also contributed to the 15.4 percent year-over-year drop in comparable domestic store sales in the category, the company said, well behind a 5 percent domestic sales decline for the company as a whole during the important retail sales month.

Sales in the consumer electronics category — which includes video game hardware — were also off 7.9 percent compared to December 2009, though Best Buy said this drop was due primarily to weakness in flat-screen TV sales.

The company as a whole generated nearly $6.5 billion in domestic sales for December, down 3.2 percent from the same month in 2009.

Best Buy’s results come a day after disappointing holiday sales figures for major game retailer Gamestop and the revelation that video games were the weakest 2010 holiday sales category for Toys R Us..

Gaming also lagged behind expectations for Best Buy in the retailer’s third 2010 fiscal quarter, which ended in late November. Sales of game software for that period were down 14 percent, year over year.

Source:-http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/32348/Best_Buy_December_Game_Software_Sales_Down_Over_2009.php