“Might Apple have interest in gaming beyond its pokey iPod gaming offerings? Maybe, when you consider that the company has recently applied to expand its trademark into the realm of gaming. The new filing was made on February 5, and has not yet been assigned to an examining attorney,” Ken Fisher reports for Ars Technica.
Fisher reports, “The trademark filing seeks to extend the “APPLE” (text) trademark to cover a wide swath of the gaming world, to wit:”
Toys, games and playthings, namely, hand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer games. (emphasis added.)
Fisher reports, “Tradmork, who first unearthed the application and contacted us about it, suggests that this could be the first credible evidence that Apple might build a gaming machine. The question is, does this filing suggest anything more than the iPod gaming that already exists?”
More in the full article here.
Just Apple covering all the bases! For now!
I agree w/ macaholic. Nothing to pay much attention to now. Gaming is an über competitive market and I would be really surprised to see Apple make a move into this arena.
They could licence some of the Wii patents for use with AppleTV games.
Or expand the WebKit so that anywhere the latest Safari WebKit was installed (all Macs, iTouch, iPhone, aTV, MBA, etc) the game would play.
I hope Apple do new products and keep the same design for long years,let´s see what is going to come in the next weeks.
If Apple were to move into that market it would be the same sort of thing as MS trying to buy yahoo and have a zune. Likely not good.
Apple is very focused and thats why they have done so well. I think this would not be a likely move for them.
Just my .02
Oh come on guys, at least use your space to start a rumor. Here’s my first attempt: I think Apple’s device will play all other gaming console games, and the reasons should be pretty obvious, not the least of which it will be the most friendly way to get game developers to start looking their way.
Apple doesn’t have to win the console market to stay ahead. At the moment most of the world has to get a new set-top box for the TV transfer.
Most will stick with cable. The rest are looking to AppleTV, PS3, HD-DVD/B’Ray, Archos, XBox, Media Centre, Tivo, etc. We don’t want or have or can afford 5 connections to our HD TV.
Adding games to the AppleTV won’t make it a category winner against Wii, PS3 or XBox, but it may just tip many of us enough casual gamers into the AppleTV camp since it could now do everything the others can except play DVDs or watch live TV.
And I expect these gaps to be filled with Apple’s MBA remote DVD technology ported to AppleTV and live links to a USB TV stick in a Mac on the network via Bonjour (EyeTV does it Mac-Mac now, so why not Mac-AppleTV).
This no rumor. This is serious. Something is coming out.
Apple needs to add serious gaming extensions to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV. Whether by licensing Nitendo patents or by doing its own stuff, Apple needs to be present in the gaming business. It’s the only missing piece.
@ HolyMackerel,
I completely agree with your statement that “Apple doesn’t have to win the console market to stay ahead.”
They just need to implement some gaming to their devices in order to lure lots of people away from other big consoles. Apple TV will look like a complete device, doing everything digital.
I think they put out an update that will make Apple TV the first fully digital gaming console among other things…
Patents and trademarks are used on the business table for negotiations …
Nintendo?
I can’t wait till the ibox 360 comes out. I would but that
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Apple and the Mac are still scoffed at in the gaming realm. The dearth of Mac games seems the ONLY negative for Apple these days.
Since Jobs’ return, Apple first simplified, then slowly and carefully added pieces to the Apple puzzle. Gaming seems like a next (or soon to be) logical step.
Apple trying to do gaming by itself would be a bad idea. Starting some sort of partnership by adding compatibility to the TV, iPod and Mac platforms makes sense. Adding Wii or PS3 gaming, along with Blu-ray playback, would be a huge kick for all of Apple’s devices.
Look at what new iPod Touch and iPhones have to offer right now: MultiTouch control. This is a new paradigm for game design. Frankly, there could be some very unique and interesting handheld games utilizing the multitouch and, let’s not forget, the accelerometers built into these devices too.
I am more than a casual gamer and I would love to have an apple branded gaming device. I could see Apple doing this because look at the competition. All have the same games but each have a niche thing. XBox has “XBox Live” that you have to pay for but is well put together and seamless. I do not use it to download movies or tv shows just to play games with others. Playstation has “Home” still in beta form but when it comes out will only be mainly used as a social thing. The Wii has good casual games but lacks the power for some of the bigger more realistic games. I feel that if Apple plays its cards right they may be able to do something very inventive and take a big chunk out of the market. You may see the playstation dissolve like the Sega dreamcast. Sony is selling more PS2’s than it is PS3’s. They are hurting. Apple may get Bungie since they split with MS and come out with something big and get a big share of the market. Halo 3 was the top selling game. Just imagine how many people will go out and get a Apple game device just for a game from Bungie. I know I got my XBox 360 just for Halo 3. Just my opinion.
Hmmmm, “If Apple were to move into that market it would be the same sort of thing as MS trying to buy yahoo and have a zune. Likely not good.
Apple is very focused and thats why they have done so well. I think this would not be a likely move for them.
Just my .02″
Actually, all Apple has to do is buy a couple of new and up and coming software game companies and release a new gaming system. And Apple does not have to live or die by gaming, only make new inroads. Plus the games could be ported to the Mac, iPhone, iPod, etc.
Just a win win, if you ask me.
en
Apple allow you to play/buy music, play/rent movies, make phone calls, browse the Internet, take advantage of multi-touch, be productive, and more… serious gaming is still missing. Do you really think they will keep it that way?
Gaming is Apple logical NeXT step. The only question is: How?
As others said before me, Apple just covering all it’s bases. I’m sure they would focus on creating a healthy gaming community on the Mac first, then handhelds etc. after that.
Just think, your sitting on your couch and you want to watch a TV show or a movie, or listen to your music, well you can with Apple TV. Now imagine the same box that you get all that with gaming. They would need a controller for it but that is an extra add on they can get money for. Also imagine being able to play those games on any mac that you own and have them linked to your computer and your Apple TV. This would be awesome.
The Apple TV already can play games with a hack. The specs are good enough for casual gaming to start with but imagine later adding a second version like they do with everything else that has bigger specs and costs a $100 more. Then later it would come down in price and phase out the smaller version after a while and then yet another newer one is added for a bigger price to replace that one.
I agree with both Maddog and with MadMike95.
I am sure they are covering their bases, but they could add this function to their Apple TV and get more games on the Mac at the same time. It would be just like the music, TV and movies they do through iTunes. XBox, playstation and Wii all have marketplaces that you access from your console to buy fun little games for 3 and 4 dollars. Apple can do this in iTunes. You can play on your Mac or link it to your iPhone, iPod, and Apple TV.
I actually hope they do this. I would love to have that ability on my Apple TV.
I already play games on my Apple TV. I hack it and now play alot of Nintendo games with a usb controller. I would love it if they made this work.
With Apples ‘iron clad’ patents on touch control trackpads and movement sensors (in iPod Touch and iPhone devices), a games machine with an advanced touch interface would seem the right area to expand into…
My vote is for all Macs to come with a lifetime subscription to WoW included in the purchase price.
Sixvodkas –
You want a lifetime subscription to World of Warcraft? You got it.
The WoW starts now!
Peace.
Great Apple you are now official thinking like Microsoft and want to have your hand in everything. This will only make all the other products become rushed pieces of crap or delayed. Just like what happened when the iPhone came out, you had to delay leopard. How soon will it be until you just begin pushing things out to get them out in the market.
re: Stupid
“Great Apple you are now official thinking like Microsoft and want to have your hand in everything. This will only make all the other products become rushed pieces of crap or delayed. Just like what happened when the iPhone came out, you had to delay leopard. How soon will it be until you just begin pushing things out to get them out in the market.”
I hope the new campus building and all the new offices they have gotten over the past year will help with this. I agree that they do not need to cut off their nose to spite their face and mess up their core business. But they can grow out better than Microsoft at this stage and it could be a great thing if they do it right.