Our friends at GameDaily.biz are reporting that at least one analyst believe Apple will enter the game industry fray with a hardware offering. Jesse Tortora, a securities analyst at Prudential, believes there is a "very real possibility" that Apple will offer a console or handheld in the near future.

Tortora stated, "The game console device could be morphed out of some combination of the MacMini and iTV, while the handheld player could be developed as an enhancement to a future version of the widescreen iPod,"

If any of Apples past offering are to go on the iConsole ( or whatever it will eventually be called ) will be beautiful to look at, work seamlessly, and be outlandishly expensive. Apple also has had a die hard following that puts even the most fanatical Nintendo fanboy to shame. Do we really need another hardware platform? Does Apple stand a chance?

Apple's looking to shoot themselves in the foot if they try. The herd needs thinning as it is and Apple isn't exactly synonymous with gaming. Besides, unless they develop or license a Wii-style control setup, the commercials will consist of silhouettes sitting on the couch or floor. Given that most people have PCs in the workplace and in the home, ads are a very important tool for Apple. Personally, I'd rather that they not have another product to throw their tired ad campaign at.

While I use a PC, I really have a lot of respect for Apple. Yet all the same, I hope they don't go ahead with this. The market is crowded enough, and they're more likely to lose cash in the attempt.

Remember the Pippin, Apple's collaboration with bandai? It flopped and I believe Bungie was the only American company that made any games for it. I suspect they'd have similar results if they tried again, minus all the Japanese developers that Bandai bought them.

Of course, the iPod console is called iGage. ;-)

I think that Apple will only launch products based on a good market analysis nowadays. They've been through their experimenting period in the 90s, what with the Pippin and Newton.

The only proper position for another player (Apple) in the console market would be an added dimension, just like the Wii. Strangely, Sony seems to be aiming at the very position that would be better occupied by Apple, namely the media hub.

what do you think Microsoft is doing? both Sony and Microsoft want to own your living room... I suspect though that Microsoft has bigger plans than this... the living room is just the start to integerate into your whole house

I don't think so. The Xbox 360 is just a souped up PS2. While it has some media features, so does any console produced after 1994.

Especially given its recent success with portable devices, I can't imagine Apple getting into any kind of gaming hardware other than a handheld. I suspect Apple is both more credible in this submarket and would also have more room to grow (i.e. no Microsoft juggernaut to deal with).

The very nature of the console market seems to run against the Apple image of creativity and flexibility. Consoles are highly standardized and user-friendly, but PCs and Macs are a lot more powerful--especially if you want to *make* something, rather than just consume something made by someone else.

I think Apple could do it personally. Apple DID create games back in the olden days of gaming for their old computers, and while someone did make note that Apple isn't exactly known for gaming, the same could have been said about Microsoft attempting something besides a PC a few years back.

I think the market's going to be different now. I don't see Sony dominating this generation like the last two. Xbox 360 is still making quite good, and the Wii is getting stronger and stronger. Could Apple bump out Sony? Unsure, but I think they could step out of nowhere and be a contender.

Nintendo has their fanatics. Apple has the same, and for that reason, I think support could be found.

Who knows? Maybe this move would actually get more attention to Apple computer's game line-ups from third-party publishers.

Say whaa?