Trademork.com, a website that reports on interesting and bizarre trademark applications, is reporting that Apple has filed to have the “Apple” name trademark extend to “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”.  

Now, it’s just a TM application, something that companies often do to protect possible future interests, and many are never followed up on at all, so this isn’t confirmation or anything.  It’s definitely interesting, though, and worth keeping an eye on.  Apple has never been known for their support of games, (though EA seems to think there’s an untapped market there) and their last attempted foray into the console market, the “Pippin”, never materialized.  They do know a thing or two about portable devices, though, so the possibility of an iBoy could be a legitimate one.  Sadly, an iGage is just as possible.  A tip, Apple; Controlling an FPS with a click-wheel is a BAD idea.

Apple's ill-fated console, the Pippin