Welcome to PocketGamer.biz's weekly rundown of the stories clocking up the hits, picking up the click-throughs and generally keeping the advertisers happy by serving up page views.
Or, if you'd prefer, the top five stories currently dominating our readers' attention.
Each week, we'll be counting down the biggest news from the previous seven days, giving just a glimpse of the industry's big issues, from five to one.
Apple's Retina Display next-gen iPad bound for US, UK on 16 MarchThough arguably not quite as packed full of surprises as some had hoped, Apple's iPad unveiling was nonetheless one of the most read articles last week as it was always likely to be.
The next-gen device simply referred to as "the new iPad" - sports Apple's new A5X chip (capable of twice the performance of the A5 equipped in the current iPad 2, according to VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller) and a Retina Display, enabling Apple to 'redefine the market it invented' - in the view of CEO Tim Cook, anyway.
Click here to read more.
Opinion: Lack of iPad innovation highlights the hapless nature of Apple's rivalsOf course, the arguable lack of any revolutionary new features prompted discussion aplenty across the web in the hours that followed.
PocketGamer.biz deputy editor Keith Andrew's view, however, was that Apple's decision to keep any upgrades on the straight and narrow was more a reflection of the lack of a genuine iPad rival from Android OEMs.
"If there's one thing we know from iPhone's steady, but rarely spectacular, evolution, is that Apple moves the market forward at its own pace," said Andrew.
"Only when it deems that one of its rivals is getting to close for comfort does it upgrade hardware or firmware in a meaningful fashion."
Click here to read more.
Opinion: Windows 8, not Windows Phone, leading Microsoft's charge against iOSIt's a positive sign for Microsoft that, in a week dominated by Apple's big iPad reveal, stories on the OS the firm hopes will take it on at the tills continued to clock up the hits.
"Anyone searching for a sign of the impact the smartphone market has had on the tech industry at large need not look any further than Windows 8," said deputy editor Keith Andrew in his piece.
"The very fact Windows 8 is strapping on armour in defence of Windows Phone both signifies Microsoft's intent in the market, and the level of concern the rise of iOS and Android has brought about in the firm's board room."
Click here to read more.
Sulake CEO Paul LaFontaine on turning Habbo into a key gaming platform for mobileBreaking up last week's 'tablet fest' was Sulake CEO Paul LaFontaine's inside look at how the Finnish studio turned its platform Habbo into a social success.
We're experts in online safety and monetisation but we're less experienced in building games," he explained.
"We're looking to play to our strengths, while sharing revenue and mindspace to work with the best developers to bring games to Habbo."
Click here to read more.
Retina reveal proves painful for indies: Instant developer reaction to Apple's new iPad
Topping the bill last week, however, was early reaction to Apple's new iPad from one of the groups most likely to be effected by its launch: developers.
Their response wasn't universally positive.
"Retina on the iPad remains a pain for game developers, particularly those making 2D bitmap-based games," offered Zee-3 co-founder Ste Pickford.
"I suspect the machine won't quite match the performance of the iPad 2 for games, with the improved hardware probably not quite up to the job or pushing around four times as many pixels, and frame rate is worth more than graphical fidelity any day of the week!"
Hogrocket co-founder Peter Collier added, "Where this leaves indies with limited budgets is a worry.
"It's like the PlayStation 1 era all over again - bigger and bigger teams needed with the art capacity/budget to compete."
Click here to read more.
And there's more...
One of the other highlights of the week proved to be PocketGamer.biz's App Store infographic, tracking the key games that shot the marketplace past 25 billion downloads.
We won't spoil it for you here the infographic is, after all, only a click away but it's fair to say, Angry Birds was involved at some point or other.
Until next week...
Hot Five
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
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