A new threat to the Nintendo gaming empire may soon oppose its position atop the consumer food chain. According to an article from Forbes, Apple may eventually have the potential to topple the video game giant in the handheld gaming market with the introduction of its new App Store this Monday. Find out more about this possible David versus Goliath story in our full article after the jump.

We're not certain if Apple CEO Steve Jobs is keen on answering Mike's dare to make a regular Mac, because you see, he's quite busy with other more important things. For one, Jobs' busy answering allegations from certain environmental groups about Apple's waste.

And it is also possible that the official is busy counting his total compensation for 2006. Haven't you heard? Financial publication Forbes.com just named Steve Jobs as the highest paid CEO for 2006, as he was able to take home more than US$ 646 million through stock-based compensation. Forbes.com mentioned that exercised stock options are still the main component of pay while changes in the components of executive compensation have occurred throughout the years.

In fact, 48% of the executive pay of the 200 CEOs monitored came from stocks. Mind you, that's an average gain of US$ 7.3 million per CEO. The second highest paid chief executive was Ray Irani from Occidental Petroleum who took home US$ 321.64 million in 2006.

Forbes Magazine has always listed the world's richest people. Some, however, have not only the fortune, but also the fame. It is interesting to note that the list of the world's richest celebrities is topped by the very dynamic Apple CEO, Steve Jobs. Here's the list:

10. JK Rowling - book author worth US$ 1 billion.
9. Oprah Winfrey - TV host worth US$ 1.5 billion.
8. Mark Cuban - HD net owner worth US$ 2.3 billion.
7. Donald Trump - real estate mogul worth US$ 2.9 billion.
6. Steven Spielberg - film maker worth US$ 3 billion.
5. George Lucas - Star Wars mastermind worth US$ 3.6 billion.
4. Richard Branson - entreprenuer worth US$ 3.8 billion.
3. David Geffen - movie mogul worth US$ 4.7 billion.
2. Michael Bloomberg - financial information system founder worth US$ 5.5 billion.

1. Steve Jobs, Apple CEO worth US$ 5.7 billion. - This quirky, individualistic and dynamic former hippie has made waves in the computer industry with his company Apple. He helped popularize the concept of the personal computer in the late '70s. This pop-culture icon is also credited for the iPod, which gave a hipper reputation to computers and MP3 players. Recently, Steve's been gaining attention with his anti-DRM statements and his yet-to-be released iPhone.

The richest celebrities, in pictures, follow below.

See more pictures after the jump!

Alright, after ALL of those rumors about the possibility or existence of the legendary iPhone (or for the nit-picky, "a mobile phone unit made by Apple") here comes yet another piece of meat to add to the already neck-high stack of so-called juicy bits.

Forbes.com has reported that the Taiwanese company Hon Hai (otherwise known as Foxconn in other countries) has just won a contract from Apple which will have the company churning out 15-inch Macbooks for delivery in January, as well as "12 million mobile handsets that also function as music players". Oooh. The report then goes on to say that the said mobile handsets are expected to be launched by the first half of 2007, though no other details of the deal have been revealed.

On the other hand, many are still speculating if perhaps this could all just be a mistranslation, and that "mobile handsets that also function as music players" may actually have been more of "handheld MP3 players", or iPods.

iPhone, are you for real? Once again, it all becomes a matter of waiting for official announcements. Until then, we can just wonder of Apple's phones will be using a click-wheel.

It's the Boot Camp Effect - people preferring a Mac over a PC due to the presence of the Boot Camp software. And it seems like the Boot Camp Effect will be Apple's key to equating or superseding Microsoft's success. This is according to a Piper Jaffray research.

The said report reflected that of 42 near-term PC shoppers, 8.3% are considering to get a Mac computer over a PC because of the Boot Camp software. Analyst Gene Muster wrote that this interest in the Boot Camp-capable Macs will see Apple gaining market share over the next 12 months, which can also see Apple completing its transition to Windows-capable Mac computers fitted with Intel microprocessors.

The release of the new Windows-functional Mac OS, 10.5 Leopard, may lead to a 2007 gain in momentum for the Boot Camp Effect.

Curtis James Jackson III, or more popularly known as 50 Cent, may have had a shady past and a controversial present tagged to his name but this does not mean he's all bad. His current negotiation with Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs is enough for us to at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

According to Forbes, 50 Cent is in talks with the Apple chief so he can put affordable home computers in the hands of inner-city residents. The rapper reveals, "I'm creating a foundation that will be around for a long time, because fame can come and go or get lost in the lifestyle and the splurging. I never got into it for the music. I got into it for the business."

The now infamous rapper is amongst the richest celebrities, having over $67M under his name in the year 2005 for record sales and branding deals (sneakers, video game, and G-Unit clothing line).

According to Forbes, who is not immune to discussing the limitless possibility of announcements that Apple may make in the near-future, Apple may be introducing a revamped iPod Shuffle. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks good ol' Steve Jobs may make the announcement during his annual Macworld keynote address next Tuesday.

According to Munster, iPod may be preparing to unveil a new form factor for the Shuffle, possibly with a built-in screen to complement the new revision. Munster considers the evidence pointing to the new Shuffle:

"Evidence of this is the fact that Apple.com indicates that 1gigabyte iPod shuffles are sold out and supply will not be replenished until mid-January. 'We believe this is a sign that a new shuffle is coming at Macworld; otherwise Apple would likely have refilled the channel,' the analyst noted in research note today."

Guess the rest of us will have to wait until next week to see what it is Jobs has up his sleeve. With Microsoft announcing it wants to destroy iTunes, it may be an interesting speech indeed.

[Via, Forbes]