Is it still an internetMac?

[macfreek57]

So I may be a little rusty on my Apple history, but I believe the i in iMac originally stood for "internet". Wikipedia at least backs me up. I was just thinking that maybe the name iMac isn't so much appropriate any more these days considering that, in the PC market, easy internet access is not so much a selling point as it is a given. It seems to have lost a little bit of that meaning over the years. Apple seems to feel that way also, as it hasn't advertised it as the internet Mac in years. It seems a shame to have a meaningless name like that hanging around for so long, but the answer is certainly not to just lop off the i and name it something else -- there's a lot of name recognition in the name iMac. I was thinking that maybe they could just have the i stand for something else.
I don't think intelMac would be a good name. I think the boat already sailed on that opportunity. Plus, it seems you'd want it to stand for something that differentiates it from the rest of their PC line. Maybe integratedMac, but that would take quite some advertising spin to make that not sound a little to techie.
Got any other ideas?

 

[Vidd]

If you watched the original keynote, you'd know it stood for several things.
"Innovation" was one meaning and I believe it's still relevant today.

 

[theBB]

Some abbreviations gain a life of their own. Do you know what IBM or AT&T stands for?

 

[jburns]

Some abbreviations gain a life of their own. Do you know what IBM or AT&T stands for?

Of course. International Business Machines and American Telephone & Telegraph.

 

[theBB]

Of course. International Business Machines and American Telephone & Telegraph.

Not anymore... IBM has sold more than business machines in the last few decades and I'd be surprised to hear if AT&T still lets you send telegraph messages. A lot of the times, these are not abbreviations any more, as the company officially declares that these letter combinations do not stand for anything. ESPN is another one of those I believe.

 

[mkrishnan]

Not anymore... IBM has sold more than business machines in the last few decades and I'd be surprised to hear if AT&T still lets you send telegraph messages. A lot of the times, these are not abbreviations any more, as the company officially declares that these letter combinations do not stand for anything. ESPN is another one of those I believe.

Not to mention KFC, because what they use for meat cannot properly be called chickens anymore?

 

[JAT]

The i has become its own name, it needs no word behind it. It's so many products now, whether from Apple or not. The iPod accomplished that. It never had a word behind it in that product. I don't think the Pod really means much practical to the player, either.

IBM is certainly still International Business Machines, so that was a questionable example.
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/us/en/

And I wouldn't really say that ESPN spent much time and effort putting forth the "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network" monikor ever.

But KFC did officially drop the words due to PC stupidity. (and not about the C, it was about the F) AT&T has also abandoned the words, I believe, not sure why. Probably as theBB says, no more Telegraph, really. In an unrelated comment, I find it interesting that Ma Bell is now joining back together again. Different political world.