The competition is getting fiercer, but 
when it comes to online video sales, Apple is still king of the hill.
New data from IHS Screen Digest shows that iTunes was the leader in movie electronic sell through and internet video on demand last year, besting pushes from Amazon, Wal-Mart and others with a commanding 2/3 market share.
While the media has had a field day trying to 
convince people that the table market is being fought on a hardware front, it’s not. Ultimately, it’s the end user experience that makes the difference on whether someone enjoys the product.
Apple, to date, has had a vastly superior interface that – along with its headstart in the market – has allowed it to own a commanding share of the space. Android tablets, meanwhile, have all been built upon an interface that was never meant for devices other than phones. Today, Google changed that.
Dead Space for iPad isn’t a game for everybody – 
and certainly isn’t one for children – but as a survival horror game, it’s masterfully done. Rather than retelling a tale from an older game in the series (or cramming the plot of the just-released Dead Space 2, which this is meant to promote, into an app), this is a completely new adventure. The story is a fun ride for those who have the stomach for the gore — well-paced and packed with jump-out-of-your-seat moments. The game is best played with headphones, instead of the iPhone or iPad’s speaker, as they make it a much more immersive experience. Graphically, Dead Space is superb and it’s one of the few iDevice titles that really feels like a console experience.
Game titles in the app store have rewritten 
the rules of video game development – so it makes sense that they would rewrite the rules of tie-ins as well.
“Doodle Jump,” one of the most popular apps on iDevices, has announced a film partnership with Universal Pictures that will work a bit differently than the usual game/movie tie-in.
If this were a typical video game console cycle, 
the talk these days would be about things like the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Us (or whatever they had decided to call their new machines). But things are different this time around.
The major console systems may not be showing any signs of updating themselves soon, but the handheld marketplace is heating up fast. Both Nintendo and Sony have announced new portable game devices – the 3DS and NGP (a code name that will almost certainly be changed) — that will be in the hands of consumers before the end of the year.
Sony is doubling down in the handheld 
gaming space.
Company unveiled its next-generation handheld system Thursday in Japan, then surprised the gaming world by also announcing a new initiative that will bring games from the original PlayStation to Android-based smartphones and tablets. Both the system and the initiative will launch before the end of the year.
As Apple and Nintendo 
prepare for a showdown in the portable gaming space,Sony won’t be sitting on the sidelines.
The company unveiled its next generation handheld system Thursday – the successor to its six-year old PlayStation Portable (PSP) device. Additionally, Sony announced a new initiative that would bring PlayStation games to Android-based devices, marking the first time the company has opened up its catalog to third-party systems.
Following the disclosure on Monday that Apple CEO Steve 
Jobs will be taking his third medical leave in six years, Apple shares fell 4% in early trading on Tuesday, or $14 to $334.35.
Since the markets were closed on Monday due to the holiday, this is the first glimpse at how U.S. investors are reacting to the news. Some analysts late on Monday had predicted shares could fall by 10% in early trading. Apple is expected to release its quarterly earnings after the market closes on Tuesday.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking a medical 
leave of absence from the company to focus on his health, the company announced Monday.
Jobs will continue as the company’s CEO and said he would continue to be involved in major strategic decisions for the company – but chief operating officer Tim Cook will be responsible for day-to-day operations at Apple.
After years of rumors, speculation
and pining, Verizon finally has the iPhone.
The company made the formal announcement Tuesday, confirming that the top smartphone on the market will be available to its customers in early March, ending AT&T’s long run of exclusivity with the device.
Chris Morris: Journalist 