I really can't see them teaming with anybody on this. That's not how they opperate. They'll only team up with someone else if it's apparent they can't perform a specific task themselves, and they'd rather work with the partners they already have they can retain as much control as possible. Apple is not the sort of company that allows itself to be subserviant to another.

There is a real opening IMO for a well financed savvy contender to enter the market. Wii is expanding the gamer market, but is losing untold millions with lack of hardware and lack of games that cater to the new market (they have some obviously).

A savvy company like Apple could put out what would basically be a HD Wii console, get 3rd parties to port all the PS360 games to it as well (but with better / more intuitive / more popular controls) and buys up some companies to make 1st/2nd party games that cater directly to the Wii market. As well as getting 3rd party Wii ports.

Apple could make this console seem sexy (they excel at that), better than Wii, and most importantly, a lot more available than Wii. They could steal marketshare from both Wii and from PS360 fronts.

Nintendo would survive but lose potential sales, but Sony and MS would be hit very hard by a successful 4th player as any cut to their marketshare directly affects their bottom line. If done very effectively, Apple could knock Sony & MS out of the market as they couldn't respond without going to PS4/720 very early and shallowing billions in losses from PS3/360.

As noted, the key is price. Apple stuff is usually terribly expensive and that won't fly. Also, Apple has historically sucked at getting games made for their systems. Still there's an opening, if nothing else, the crumbs Wii is leaving behind are enough to make a 4th entry profitable (assuming they follow the Nintendo business model not the loss leading model of Sony/MS), and Apple is one of the few possible companies able to really make a serious go for it.

Oh god apple.

So basically they'll make a console with the power of a SNES, charge $1599, have no games (except that apple slide puzzle game), a controller with 1 button, and be owned by every pretentious iFag on the planet who will go into great detail about how their console cures cancer even though can't play Counter Strike without dual booting Windows.

This should be fun.

I bet they would do well in Japan and show that American companies can have success there.

meh apple tired once and failed. Their products suck beyond anything. Unreliable iPods unrealible phone and well you see the picutre.

 I think that's about the only way this is going to actually happen.

 Apple is very dedicated to online content distribution, having pulled off deals that scarcely seemed possible with record labels, TV studios, and now movie makers. The Apple TV, though it hasn't taken off, is an important part of this this content distribution strategy, and Apple is still working to get the formula right for this device.

If Apple can make a set-top, internet-capable media center, why not add games to the content available for download? Heck, the Apple TV can run WoW (not very well, but still). Wherever you have a screen, a computer, and an input device, you might as well have games. All Apple's really missing is a compelling input device and some developers.

Like I said it's foolish to denounce them based off the Pippin.  Apple released Pippin during Steve Jobs' exile and it was his vision when he returned that helped them get their company back on track.  Just remember how bad they were doing before he came back.  Michael Dell made that quote that Apple fans love to throw out every day about how they should just refund the investors and close the company.  Any console released while he's at the helm won't be like the Pippin.

So they want Apple TV to let you play videogames as well?

That's what it soudns like to me.  Or rather they want the games to push Apple TV, since they found out no one wants just Apple TV.

Interesting ... though I still think this is more about a handheld media device that plays games than a console.

We are several years (a decade maybe) away from digital distribution being viable. And unless Internet neutrality is passed in the US, it may be a long time since those are the very downloads that the ISPs will seek to freeze out (those which compete against their businesses or those which tie up bandwidth).

Remember right now that Time Warner is experimenting with usage pricing on broadband. If that catches on, digital delivery dies.

Mike from Morgantown

Whoa, there are a lot of crazy ideas going in this thread.

- Apple will not "join forces" with anyone. They never do. End of story.
- This will not be a traditional console. This will be an extension of the iPod and AppleTV, two devices that have been playing games for quite some time already.
- Apple will not be going after Sony or MS in any way and their overlap with Nintendo will be minimal.

Apple isn't trying to break into the games business, they're trying to add functionality to their already-established line of products. While these products might get better at playing games in future revisions, they will never be true gaming machines. The gaming market is far too crowded and expensive to ever be worth Apple's time and effort.