Meaning of letter 'i' in names of Apple gadgets: History
'Taken as a mark of excellence in craftsmanship and style, Apple's products are frequently seen as a status symbol. But what's the significance of the enigmatic 'i' emblem that appears in the names of many contemporary Apple items?'
In a statement, RBC-Ukraine clarifies the meaning of the letter 'i' in the titles of Apple products.
The following sources were consulted to compile this information: The Economic Times, Logos-world, and The iPhone Wiki.
Apple first showcased the i-series of devices in 2003, including the iPod, iMac, and iTunes. However, the organisation claims that it was Steve Jobs, the co-founder, who literally coining the term 'i' in 1998.
The tradition of starting product names with 'i' at Apple was not introduced with the iPhone but began even earlier with items such as the iMac, iBook, and iPod. It has been estimated by enthusiasts that over the past 30 years, Apple has brought out at least 23 products, whose names start with the lower-case letter 'i'.
The first appearance of I was in 1998 under the guise of the iMac, which subsequently became one of the best-selling and most successful products in the company's entire history. During this difficult period for Apple, the iMac acted as a kind of lifeline when the company was going through financial difficulties and was on the verge of going bankrupt.
At first, Steve Jobs had thought of calling the device MacMan because of its "friendly" design. Here, "Man" refers to a person, and "Mac" is a nod to the established Macintosh brand which is part of Apple's computer range.
However, Ken Segall, an Apple employee, publicly expressed his reservations about the renaming proposal. He deemed the suggested name "MacMan" as fairly ordinary and "disappointing", mentioning it caused "allergies" amongst the entire development team.
Additionally, it could be linked to the Walkman product from Sony's rivals.
Segall recommended naming the Apple computer "iMac", with "i" referring to "internet", as an abbreviation. He felt it was essential to highlight the machine's ability to access the World Wide Web, its most innovative feature, on release in 1998. The internet was then still a relatively new and groundbreaking technology.
Originally, Jobs expressed that he "hated" the name iMac, but subsequently altered his views and agreed to the name being bestowed upon it. At the device's launch on 6 May, 1998, he stated that "iMac is a blend of the joy of the internet and the simplicity of Macintosh."
Since then, the company has integrated the 'i' prefix into the names of a range of its products, encompassing both its hardware and software offerings: iPod, iPad, iPhone, along with mobile operating system iOS, the software application iCall, digital media player iTunes, and digital bookstore iBooks.
When selecting a name for their first mobile phone, Apple initially thought about calling it alternatively Mobi, TriPod, or even TelePod, and even iPad in some initial considerations; however, they finally opted for the straightforward and catchy name iPhone. In this instance, the 'i' prefix conveyed a similar significance to its counterpart in the first iMac, as the ability to access the internet from a portable device in 2007 was a groundbreaking concept envisioned by Apple.
Post a Comment for "Meaning of letter 'i' in names of Apple gadgets: History"