Apple tells the U.S. that it is now a gaming company with new competitors

Apple filed its Annual Report (via AppleInsider) also known as its Form 10-K with the SEC on Friday, and now states that its gaming platform competes against top gaming firms such as Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. On previous 10-K filings, Apple listed its competition as Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows. Data revealed during the Epic v. Apple trial showed that 70% of App Store revenue comes from gaming apps even though those apps are purchased by less than 10% of App Store users.

Other information that came up during the trial said that Apple was involved in 33% of all transactions in the gaming market. That market share alone allows it to be considered a legitimate gaming company. And now that the screens on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max and the new MacBook Pro models all refresh 120 times per second, game players have a good reason to turn to Apple to play their mobile games.

In the 10-K, Apple writes, "The Company believes the availability of third-party software applications and services for its products depends in part on the developers' perception and
analysis of the relative benefits of developing, maintaining and upgrading such software and services for the Company’s products compared to competitors' platforms, such as Android for smartphones and tablets, Windows for personal computers and tablets, and PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox for gaming platforms."

Apple adds that "This analysis may be based on factors such as the market position of the Company and its products, the anticipated revenue that may be generated, expected future growth of product sales, and the costs of developing such applications and services." 

January 9th, 2007 was a very important day in Apple's history; that was the day that the late Steve Jobs introduced the OG iPhone. But something else happened that day that hinted at a change in Apple's focus on future products. Jobs announced that Apple Computer was dropping the "computer" part from its official corporate name. While today's 10-K filing doesn't reveal something as dramatic as that, it does indicate that Apple believes that it has new competitors it must try to beat out.

Gaming already is an important source of revenue for Apple and the company earns more from gaming on its platforms than the combined figures belonging to Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Activision. And of course, Apple does offer the Apple Arcade app which is part of its Services unit that generated $68.43 billion in sales for fiscal year 2021.

Apple is believed to be working on a mixed reality (AR/VR) headset that based on the latest rumor, will begin production in approximately a year from now. The device is expected to be lighter than those offered by the competition. Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple is aiming higher with its mixed reality headset than the competition is.

During the Epic v. Apple trial, Apple did not list gaming console manufacturers as competitors in the filings it made with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). The latter happens to be the agency that Apple submitted its 10-K report to. In the Annual Report, Apple warned investors that it might have to make changes to the App Store which could reduce the commissions that Apple receives from taking its cut of in-app payments.

The so-called Apple Tax, which gives Apple 15% to as much as a 30% slice of in-app revenue, also demands that game developers force its subscribers to pay for game accessories and subscriptions through Apple's in-app payment platform. While Apple has been competing with the PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox for a few years now, the company has now made this competition official.