Mac owners who are gamers tend to play on a console rather than on their computers, largely because offerings for the Mac have been few and far between. Online game distributor Valve intends to change that with the release of Steamworks for the Mac. "It will create a market for games for the Mac, where there wasn't a significant one before," said Parks Associates analyst Pietro Macchiarella.

However, the boost will be mainly psychological, at least in the short term, he said. "Any gains will be made by cannibalizing other gaming platforms."

At present, Mac owners who are gamers likely use something else to play games, such as a console, said Macchiarella, so Valve's initiative is unlikely to bump up sales tremendously for the Mac-only environment.

From the article, "Has the 'iSlate' Finally Moved Off the Drawing Board?" by Erica Morphy

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