A recent trademark filing has once again sparked rumors that Apple may be moving into the gaming arena with a new handheld device. The filing seeks to extend the Apple trademark to cover pretty much all fronts on the small console side of things. The question is, does this filing suggest anything more than the iPod gaming that already exists?
Apple does of course already offer a variety of minor titles via the iPod through iTunes, but it has hardly set the gaming world on fire. The new trademark application could purely be Apple protecting their interests, but given the company's success with handheld devices it could also be interpreted as a sign that Apple intends to step up its involvement with the lucrative gaming market. I somehow doubt Apple would build a gaming-only console, but extending the gaming capabilities of the iPhone, iPod or perhaps even the Apple TV seems plausible.