- Apple should create a social network for gamers. For PC we have Steam ( which is now coming to the Mac as well ). Xbox 360 has Xbox Live which will be available for Windows Phone 7 Series as well. Playstation 3 has their own network too. There is no such single gaming network for the iPhone. Different apps support different networks ( or have their own ). So if you’re an iPhone/iPod Touch gamer, you probably have many accounts. Game saves, profile information, achievements and other such data is distributed amongst them. If Apple creates a network tied to users’ iTunes ID and lets developers utilize it for their games, it would be a huge advantage for them against Xbox Live. Using the same ID for multiplayer games would be a huge bonus as well.
- Create a games dashboard. Just like the Xbox Live hub, a native iPhone app that shows the user’s profile, friends updates, achievements and all such information. Latest news about game releases in the App Store would also be a great addition to the dashboard. I know it sounds like I want them to copy Xbox Live, but then that’s not a bad thing.
- Cross-platform gaming between the Mac and iPhone. I know this is a stretch. OS X doesn’t have many games to boast about, but it would allow the App Store developers to fight on a feature to feature level against Xbox live, since it will also allow you to play the same game on the PC, Mobile and Xbox 360.
- Make a gaming console out of Apple TV. Before you laugh at this one, think about this scenario. You’re playing a game on your iPhone, and then you switch over to your TV, use your iPhone as a controller and play the same game on a larger screen. This would allow 2 or more players to play together on the larger screen as well.
These are my ideas on how Apple should improve iPhone as a platform to stay relevant in mobile gaming. These might be all dreams since we don’t know how serious Apple really is for the iPhone/iPod Touch as a gaming console, but keep in mind that Microsoft is damn serious this time and Apple should do something about it. What do you think?