The Apple iPad is the fastest growing gaming platform for game publisher giant Electronic Arts, EA CEO John Riccitiello told IndustryGamers.

“Our fastest growing platform is the iPad right now and that didn’t exist 18 months ago,” said Riccitiello.

He makes the interesting argument that the console industry has reached a point of technological advancement where besting each other’s specs no longer matters — the Wii U, launching next year, is only now bringing Nintendo in line with the PlayStation 3′s graphical capabilities.

Instead, the experience is the most important differentiator, with Riccitiello citing factors such as new media — presumably including the need to integrate social media into gaming experiences — and new platforms such as the iPad which have developers thinking about control mechanisms in entirely new ways.

Riccitiello also points out that while consoles accounted for 80% of the gaming market in 2000, they’ve dropped as low as 40% today.