Apple applies for trademark protection on gaming devices

We're not gonna read too much into this just yet, but when everyone's favorite fruit-flavored consumer electronics company files to protect its trademark as it relates to a wide range of gaming devices, well, we feel you'd want to know. The USPTO sleuths over at Trademork just gave us the heads up on this recently-filed application from Cupertino, which requests protection of the word "APPLE" for products that classify as "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." And come to think of it, we did see Apple file for a videogame-related patent not too long ago, so who knows: perhaps the iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV will soon have even more friends among the company's ever-expanding non-PC ecosystem. Then again, we've heard this rumor in one form or another countless times before, and right now pining for a resurrected Gizmondo is already giving us enough headaches.

[Via Trademork]

[anyprophet @ Feb 10th 2008 2:52PM]

Well, there are currently games for the iPod and the iPhone will undoubtedly get games once Apple allows us to download apps.

[nimro @ Feb 10th 2008 4:07PM]

I think you have it nailed, good sir.

Apple is just trying to cover its back with regards to the games for the iPod, nothing more.

[Flashpoint @ Feb 10th 2008 5:43PM]

A, B,C,D,E,F?

E...?

f...?

WTF?

[mushrooshi @ Feb 10th 2008 10:05PM]

HAHHAAHH! I knew it would be coming!!!!!!!!

Everyone laughed at me when I prediced wrong the "beat goes on" event. BUT I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN!

noobs.

[Timerider @ Feb 11th 2008 4:25PM]

I want games on my touch. When does the SDK come out?

[James L @ Feb 10th 2008 2:52PM]

A crippled gaming device tied to iTunes but ultimatly going to sell because it looks pretty?

[LegendZ28 @ Feb 10th 2008 3:06PM]

Bingo was his name-o.

[Liam @ Feb 10th 2008 3:14PM]

I think Nintendo have got the 'pretty gaming system' market pretty much wrapped up right now. Everything else just looks quite nerdy in comparison.

[aaron @ Feb 10th 2008 3:26PM]

@Liam

"Pretty"...okay. More like pretty lame though.

[jamma @ Feb 10th 2008 3:31PM]

I'd love to see the Jobsnote on this:

"with the iPlay, the revolutionary multi-touch interface allows the user to both move and look around at the same time!!"

[Ray @ Feb 10th 2008 4:19PM]

Apple Pippin II!

[zephead @ Feb 10th 2008 7:42PM]

Just like Wii games are tied to Nintendo, PS3 games are tied to Sony, and Xbox games are tied to Microsoft?

[Shadow08 @ Feb 14th 2008 3:52PM]

Zephead, third party and multi platform games exist. Plus, each developer can sell their games where they want, for any price they want.

[Sam Winter @ Feb 11th 2008 4:49AM]

I'm sick of stupid anti-apple comments like these from ultra-nerds.
Over the years I've owned 2 Treos with PalmOS, A Treo, Moto Q, and HTC Tytn running Windows Mobile, a Blackberry, and a nokia with Symbian. I've owned PCs for 15 years with every version of Windows since 3.11, and once flirted with an Apple G4 for a few weeks. I consider myself pretty well experienced in most hardware without any real bias. I just like what works and works well.

The iPod Touch I have sitting here IS engineered wonderfully and "looks pretty". But it is bar none the most intuitive, responsive and advanced mobile electronics device I have ever owned for $299. I mean jesus, I have a BSD-based ARM computer in my pocket that can SSH or even VNC into my e-comm web servers. The SDK will be out in just a few weeks and if it is not crippled with chains it will cause this platform to explode in popularity. I can only imagine the ingenious apps that developers will create. I really believe mobile OSX will become what we all dreamed of having in an advanced mobile linux phone/pda. After my experience with the Touch, I'm now planning to get a new Mac Pro and finally make the switch. Dual Quad Core Xeon, 4 GB ram, 3 TB, 8800GT, and yes it's "pretty".

[Nick @ Feb 11th 2008 9:19AM]

Is it just me or is that picture what happens when a Nintendo DS and a Sega Game Gear get it on.

[Ty @ Feb 11th 2008 10:12AM]

Sam - I hope you're gonna boot camp vista on your fancy Mac Pro gaming rig!

[kyle @ Feb 10th 2008 2:52PM]

Way to many buttons for that to be from apple

[maveric101 @ Feb 10th 2008 4:43PM]

lol thats good.

"perhaps the iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV will soon have even more friends among the company's ever-expanding non-PC ecosystem."

uh, isn't everything apple makes non-PC?

[Duff Man @ Feb 20th 2008 3:06PM]

If I remember right, PC means personal computer. And I'm pretty sure Apple makes some of those.

[Shane Lloyd @ Feb 10th 2008 6:42PM]

Yes, "PC" technically means personal computer. Although that term is generally reserved for Windows-based computers, i.e. Windows PC. Whereas you'd most often refer to a computer with Linux as a "Linux Box" and one running Mac OS X as a "Mac". So, there we go.

[Skullfighter @ Feb 10th 2008 10:55PM]

@ Kyle

The image of me trying to shoot a zombie with my touchwheel had me laughing.

[zfurie @ Feb 10th 2008 2:53PM]

Hey what's that? iDS AIR Lite or Game Joy White?

[jeeesus @ Feb 10th 2008 3:12PM]

i am sorry you must be young here. fail.

[stiltskin @ Feb 10th 2008 3:23PM]

Coming from someone with the name jeesus and has only been a member a month. cute :)

[David @ Feb 10th 2008 3:38PM]

I think jeesus has become the new Miles

[zfurie @ Feb 10th 2008 3:53PM]

@jeesus

Eat my shorts

[Ruben @ Feb 10th 2008 10:18PM]

@zfurie:

Awesome Comeback!!!
I actually laughed.

[Jonathan @ Feb 10th 2008 2:53PM]

iPlay?

[derX @ Feb 10th 2008 3:06PM]

iLost

=[

iReturn w/ a vengeance

iWin

=]

[Panathas17 @ Feb 10th 2008 11:56PM]

iPSP or iGame or iPlay or iGaming Machine or iApple Gaming or iPod Game... yeah i like the last one... *sigh*

[Nathan @ Feb 10th 2008 2:54PM]

Wouldn't it be ironic if they went to IBM for their gaming rig chip?

[bartoron @ Feb 10th 2008 3:36PM]

"Hey uhh... IBM. Sorry about abandoning you and your PowerPC chip and everything. You see, the guys at Intel promised us lots of candy if we switched over to them, and unfortunately we believed them. We've now realized what a huge mistake that was, and the fact that we didn't even get any candy really ticked us off. So, can we be friends again? Please?"

[Macha88 @ Feb 10th 2008 3:56PM]

quite iRonic.

[Blaktornado @ Feb 10th 2008 6:11PM]

but surely Apple would find SOME way to fit an Intel chip in there ;)

[Fruition @ Feb 10th 2008 8:36PM]

@bartoron

Wait... You mean to tell me the CANDY is a lie, too?

I see now that GlaDOS has Intel Inside.

[Ian @ Feb 11th 2008 12:55AM]

Apple Board: We're goin' to candy mountain steeeeve

[jamma @ Feb 10th 2008 2:57PM]

How about allowing your computers to play games first?(without paying stupid prices). And before people started talking about the deal with EA, I mean high res PC games like COD4,Bioshock, Crysis (but then again, virtually no PC can run that properly)

Please Apple? It's the only thing preventing me getting a Mac

[jamma @ Feb 10th 2008 6:03PM]

Oh, and is the bottom bit of the pic an Apple style reflection or another screen, in the style of another gaming device :p??

[Steve Butler @ Feb 10th 2008 6:10PM]

LOL at your avatar! Haha Gromit reminds me of my gormless dog!

[ByronGman @ Feb 10th 2008 2:59PM]

I knew Apple was going to dominate the gaming industry after 5 minutes of Brick Attack in the Ipod. Also think about how many sweet games you can play on a Mac.


I am just SSOOOO excited about a locked down, restrictive gaming system from Apple.

[derX @ Feb 10th 2008 3:04PM]

your comment = xDDDD

*votes up*

[L. M. Lloyd @ Feb 10th 2008 2:59PM]

Great, an iPippen! That Pippen did so well for Apple last time.

[Jesse S @ Feb 10th 2008 4:34PM]

Five-hundred ninty-nine US dollars.

[Blaktornado @ Feb 10th 2008 6:16PM]

Yeah but you've got to remember that the Pippin was during the time when Jobs was not at Apple - or at least wasn't CEO. Jobs changed a LOT at Apple when he came back because when he left, Apple went down the crapper.

Apple is obviously ashamed of the Pippin - it's not in the Leopard Dictionary Widget's Apple section... but then again, nor is Logic or the iPod Touch and those are current products :P

[L. M. Lloyd @ Feb 10th 2008 7:53PM]

You are right, Blaktornado, with the commitment Jobs has always shown to gaming as a vital part of his vision of the Apple universe, I am sure he is what will make an Apple gaming device wonderful. Besides, we all know how great Apple is at 3rd-party software support, so that will really put them over the top.

That of course was complete sarcasm, in case you missed it.

[Blaktornado @ Feb 10th 2008 9:13PM]

L. M. Lloyd, I wasn't implying that Jobs is keen on gaming but that he is going something right for Apple and that with him behind it all, an Apple computer games console in this day in age is more likely to end up better than the Pippin.

[derX @ Feb 10th 2008 3:00PM]

Please, do NOT ask if it plays Doom.

...it might, though.

-----------

Seriously, it's about time for Apple to enter the world of gaming....though it's not entirely necessary as the iPhone/ iPod touch hackers are doing a fine job with the emulators.

[Darkroom @ Feb 10th 2008 3:16PM]

it happened already, and it was quite lackluster... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippin

[kyle allen @ Feb 10th 2008 3:50PM]

does it run nanosour? or mdk?

[DarCowAlways @ Feb 10th 2008 3:02PM]

That picture gave me the chills.