sorry if posted before. http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Console/Q7F2A3Q3 Apple To Move Into Gaming, Intel Aware Of Plans By David Richards | Tuesday | 12/02/2008 Apple is considering a move into gaming. During recent months the company has held talks with several gaming software companies, SmartHouse can reveal. According to Apple insiders the company has been exploring the release of a gaming console that primarily delivers live gaming while also delivering video content. At the recent CES show in Las Vegas an Intel executive admitted to me that they had held discussions with apple about a gaming console or even an Apple gaming PC running Intel RISC processors Recently it was revealed that Apple has registered its name as a manufacturer of devices, including stand-alone consoles for use in the gaming market.. The disclosure is in a Feb. 5 filing to expand the use of the company's trademark. Such filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are done to prevent a company's trademark from being used in markets where it could be argued the company has no involvement. The trademark extension request was uncovered by Trademork.com. The disclosure has sparked much speculation on tech sites about whether Apple is getting ready to make a big push into the market for videogame consoles or PC gaming. As a matter of company policy, Apple does not discuss plans for future products. The trademark-extension application seeks to cover "toys, games, and playthings, namely, handheld units for playing electronic games; handheld units for playing videogames; stand alone videogame machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; and toys, namely battery-powered computer games." Becoming a serious competitor in the computer gaming market would require Apple to loosen its tight-fisted control of hardware in the Macintosh. The PC has become the favored platform for hardcore gamers because they can add a second graphics card and make other hardware changes to boost performance. Such hardware changes on the Mac would cancel Apple's warranty. While there's no indication Apple plans to change, taking a bigger step in the videogame business could be lucrative, particularly in the growing market for casual gaming. The U.S. videogame market last year soared by 43% from 2006 to a record $17.94 billion, according to The NPD Group. Videogame hardware sales were 54% higher than 2006, reaching $7.04 billion. Software sales rose 34% to $8.64 billion, and videogame accessories sales increased 52% to $2.26 billion. The three major videogame console makers are Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.
It doesn't sound legit. I would be very surprised if they did because all it would do is to rob Microsoft's Xbox audience while climbing an insurmountable hill in international markets.
They're gonna need to figure out something really innovative/gimmicky to separate themselves from the crowd, or this is gonna be a big waste of time and money for them. You can't make a half-hearted entrance into the videogame market and expect to get anything out of it. We're talking multiple billions of dollars here.
apple would be better off partnering with the Wii and making it compatible with itunes and make the user interface better, the wii has a terrible menu system.
I don't think Apple would just jump into the console game like that; seems like too much of an uphill climb and they'd have to have a hell of an angle to get off the ground. I do, however, see them expanding their reach into gaming with their current devices. Already started a little with the iPods, but with competent/big name developers they could really find a way to expand the iPod Touch/iPhone market. Of course, they've barely made many moves in regards to gaming with their systems, so who knows.
That's what makes the most sense to me. And just because any thread with Apple + console gaming needs this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippin
Geez wiz...this thing was in the furthest reaches DEEP in the back of my memory until now lol Simple approach for Apple here. Since its unlikely they can compete with the established Big 3 in console gaming, they need to find a "niche" market or secondary gaming market they can do well in. Or perfect on that market until they can have a big claim in it. iPod & iPod touch make great sense for that. Instead of going "into" the market, they sort of implement and work in the market to themselves.
Mobile gaming and related apps is going to make a huge dent on the internet market. Any company, Apple included, that can circumvent the telecom monopoly and bring their product to hundreds of millions of mobile users will stand to make a lot of bank. Plus the entry costs aren't as ridiculous compared to consoles or even handhelds.
AppleInsider believes this isn't true: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/02/14/magazine_debunks_apple_game_handheld_hints_iphone_games.html
