Apple 'not interested' in console business

Apple will not release a game console anytime soon, company CEO Tim Cook said during an All Things D event Tuesday. The newly appointed top executive at the Cupertino, California-based technology giant was clear and direct in relaying his company's ambitions.

"I'm not interested in being in the console business in what is thought of as traditional gaming," he said.

Though Cook said "no" to the prospect of directly competing with Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony, he made clear gaming is a major part of Apple's business.

"I view that we are in gaming now in a fairly big way," he said. "One of the reasons people buy an iPod touch is gaming. Some buy it for music. Gaming has kind of evolved a bit. More people play on portable devices. Where we might go in the future, we'll see. Customers love games."

This follows a report from last month that stated Apple was readying its own TV set for later this year that would come bundled with a dedicated console. This system would reportedly rely on motion and touch controls, possibly through a touch-screen remote that would come bundled with the TV.

While there may not be an Apple console anytime soon, Cook teased that a future iteration of Apple TV may incorporate gaming, saying, "I think it could be interesting," and not elaborating further. This is not the first time Apple TV has been tied to games. Last year, a report suggested that code found inside new beta firmware pointed to the company bringing gaming to the video device.