As the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) rumor mill buzzes with speculation on the iPhone 6, multicolored devices and additional delays in the release of an Apple TV, a suggestion of a new variety has appeared on the horizon. Is Apple Inc. partnering with The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) to produce an augmented-reality gaming console?
According to a Patently Apple report, Disney has filed an application with the U.S. Patent Office regarding a new mobile gaming platform to include cloud connectivity, GPS and mobile skyhook location sensing technologies. According to drawings in the patent application, the device appears to be handheld, similar to a Nintendo DS. Disney claims the device is capable of capturing images of real-life objects and transforming them into animated characters.
PatentlyApple writes: For example, Disney states that an augmented reality mobile device could capture a series of images of a coffee cup sitting on top of a table, modify the series of images so that the coffee cup appears as an animated cartoon character and display the modified series of images in real-time to a user. As such, when the user looks at the augmented reality device, the user sees an augmented view of the physical real-world environment in which the user is located.
Many media sources now speculate the patent relates to a device Disney previously referred to as Toy Box in an October New York Times interview. The Times described the Toy Box as “a console game with extensive mobile and online applications in which various Pixar and Disney characters will interact with one another for the very first time.”
And it’s that statement that sparks the speculation of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s involvement, believe it or now. For those with a short memory, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs also co-founded Pixar Animation Studios. When Pixar was acquired by Disney (NYSE: DIS) in 2006, Jobs became Disney’s largest shareholder and a member of Disney’s board of directors until his 2011 death. The mere mention of Pixar in connection with a gaming console sparked the rumor of Apple’s involvement and has since spread like wildfire.
For its part, PatentlyApple admits there is no real proof of an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) connection in the Disney Toy Box project. Yet it is true both companies have expressed true interest in expanding into video gaming and each could benefit from such collaboration. Disney could certainly utilize Apple’s world-renowned tech genius, and Apple could break into gaming with a well-known host of characters.
Although Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) isn’t known for collaborating with other companies, especially one that has posted quarter after quarter of consecutive losses totaling nearly a billion dollars, PatentlyApple does point out one additional clue. Disney’s patent file states, “Examples of operating system include UNIX.” UNIX? Could it be code for OSX? Or is this just another example of how easily tech rumors start?
Do you believe a Disney-Apple pairing is possible and could their be an “iGame” in our future?
