Steve Jobs To Target Game Market With iPod Touch

The charismatic leader of Apple, Steve Jobs, has confirmed that the iPod Touch should be viewed as a gaming device rather than a mere portable media player, giving a whole new meaning to the tag line "funnest iPod ever".

The revelation came as Jobs answered questions from the New York Times and said that the company was not sure at first how to market the iPod Touch to the users.

He told reporters that "Originally, we weren't exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer?" before adding "What happened was, what customers told us was they started to see it as a game machine. We started to market it that way, and it just took off."

Jobs also claims that there are more than 21,000 games for the iPhone OS platform compared to 607 for the PSP and around 3700 for the Nintendo DS console. Apple's CEO has also hinted that the company will be focusing on reducing the price of the iPod Touch. The 8GB model is now available for £149 while the 64GB model ships for £299.

The company has also said that Madden NFL 10 will be available on the App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch for as little as $9.99. Apple's marketing VP, Phil Schiller, mentioned the fact that the DS and the PSP pale in comparison with the iPod Touch not only because the "superior" gaming experience but also because games on both platforms are expensive.

Back in March 2009, Mobclix, a rich media advertising platform reported that there were 6300 games for the iPod Touch/iPhone with roughly 25 percent of those for free. A number of publishers have already confirmed that they will release more titles for the platform.

In November last year, there were only 1500 games available for the iPhone and even back then, Greg Joswiak, Apple's VP of iPod and iPhone Product Marketing, was very upbeat as of the chances of the iPod/iPhone platform in the mobile gaming sector.