I was reading the most recent Club MacSrories and this paragraph got me thinking…

The reasons why Apple is so hesitant to compete more directly with a broader segment of the videogame industry are as much a mystery today as ever. However, the rise of handheld gaming on Linux- and Windows-based hardware presents new opportunities that play to Apple’s hardware and software strengths that it should explore.

Despite what some may think due to my frequent critiques of the company, I’m a huge Apple fan, and my instinct is to think, “of course Apple should get into more of the gaming space!”

But is that what I really want? I’m not so sure.

It’s not that I think they lack the talent to make a killer gaming desktop or sleek Steam Deck-like handheld, it’s that I don’t know if I really need Apple in this space. If I had to condense my high level gripes with Apple in 2024 into one sentence, I’d say it’s because I think they have too much power in too many industries and the more they spread out the less they can focus on the parts of their business that I personally enjoy the most.

This isn’t a fully fleshed out thought, so don’t take it too seriously, and I’m not suggesting they should stick to Macs and iPhones forever, it’s more a reminder to myself that I don’t actually want Apple to make everything remotely related to tech in my life. Other companies make amazing stuff too, and I enjoy having a wide array of products I can love for different reasons.

As a quick aside, when I say "a killer gaming desktop or handheld", I mostly mean in terms of hardware. A Steam Deck by Apple would surely have an amazing screen, a slick design, awesome haptics, and wonderful speakers…it would also probably cost twice as much as the most expensive Steam Deck. When it comes to making something that appeals to the people who enjoy high end games today, I'm far less confident. I think people deep in the Apple ecosystem underestimate how far apart Apple's priorities are with what gaming enthusiasts want.