For some time now Apple has dominated the portable music player industry with its iPod, by making the most user-friendly system on the market. They recently entered the mobile phone with the iPhone and made a massive impact immediately. Later this year they’ll be releasing a new, improved iPhone that should make even more waves among the major mobile phone manufacturers.

One market though that Apple have yet to fully enter has been mobile gaming. That so far has been the domain of Sony with the PSP and Nintendo with their GameBoy over the years, and now the Nintendo DS.

Apple though has plans to muscle in on their market, by increasing the gaming capabilities of the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

Apple is expected to unveil the next generation iPhone shortly, as well as a new section of iTunes where iPhone and iPod Touch owners will be able to download software, and games, from the website.

With Apple’s marketing power and the technological power of the two products, they could pose a serious threat to the Japanese Nintendo DS.

Like the DS, the iPhone and iPod have touch screen capabilities, but the Apple products will also have motion sensor functionality much like the Nintendo Wii.

All of this predicted technology is fine however, but Apple still have to realise it. They also have to challenge the games industry itself which is full of Nintendo loyalists and fanboys. Technology alone will not be enough for Apple.

Games such as Mario and Zelda are Nintendo exclusive. Apple will have to start from scratch if they’re going to compete on the gaming front.