There's no i in Apple.

[maflynn]

Interesting article on cnet about the lack of iDevices. No iWatch but watch, no iWallet but wallet, etc

Apple's not saying, but some analysts believe the Apple Watch and Apple Pay represent the Cupertino, Calif., company's efforts to start a new era -- one separate from Steve Jobs. Jobs, who died from pancreatic cancer in October 2011, had his hand in every product Apple introduced after he returned to run the company in 1997. Each iPhone and iPad released since his death built on the first devices he created, rather than something entirely new. But the Apple Watch is different.

 

[roadbloc]

The usage of 'i' in front of every one of their names was getting silly anyway. I think they realized that maybe they'd put enough letter i's in front of generic titles.

 

[Melrose]

I always think it's a dumb name when an "iProduct" debuts but then I warm up to it and like that it's a simple name that instantly identifies the brand and product... I was disappointed about not getting an iWatch.

Not to take out this old chestnut again, but Steve would have made the iWatch. And it's not Steve's company anymore.

My thoughts are these: I'm beginning to think that Apple is seeing more diversification in it's lineup - which is good, but also bad. The same thing has plagued and gutted the marketing of the competition since Day One. Apple could advertise the iPhone whilst Samsung would try and get a name like Galaxy S Note Pro III to catch on, which was in muddy water with other Android handsets like the HTC Whatsit2000 and the LG Thingamjig XS - these are product names that all compete with each other*. I liked that Apple made a single product in two sizes and then everything in that sector was centered around that. Apple Watch isn't as easy to say as iWatch, and Apple Pay is almost a tongue twister on it's own compared to their product names of yore.

*I will hand it to Sammy for unifying their higher end line under the Galaxy name. Very smart move. Samsung took the fight to Apple by making it more about Product Software, not simply confusing customers with silly letter-based product names.

 

[Plutonius]

It has little to do with a new era without Jobs. It's all about money and legal fights with organizations similar to patent trolls.

Everyone locked up the rights to ixxxx names and it now cost Apple a lot of money and legal issues to get the rights to the names. Apple also has to worry about every country since even though they buy the ixxxx name in one country, another country will complain.

It brings a smile to my face when I think about all the organizations thinking they were going to get lots of money out of Apple with the iWatch name .

 

[sdilley14]

http://www.iphonejd.com/iphone_jd/2009/01/the-i-in-iphone.html

Got curious about the origin and reasoning of putting "i" in front of everything, found this mildly interesting article.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Apple started it with Garageband IIRC.
To me it's a good thing. I started to dislike all the i-Stuff (iWhat'sItsName, iWhatEver, i-Etc.)

The i-Era has served its purpose: It started with the iMac, and the "i" stood for the Internet.
Now, every freaking gadget is called iSomeThingOrWhat

Giving the device / app a clear name (Garageband, Photos, Watch) sounds better now.

 

[AustinIllini]

I understand Jobs' reluctance to put the Apple logo on everything, but I really don't have a problem with the Apple Watch. Leave the "i" for tablet based multitouch tools. Everything else can be spared the i.

 

[pdjudd]

It’s not like every major product had i in front of it. They seem to pretty much keep it limited to hardware products and their non prosumer software that they sold commercially. In the beginning the i just meant internet but it expanded to non internet devices (the iPod never was internet connected). It ended up being random and these days it’s restrictions are limited to existing trademarks.

Take Apple TV, The reason that Apple doesn’t call it iTV due to an existing trademark. Nowadays, there are many companies using the i moniker that it’s hard to make it unique to Apple.

 

[dontwalkhand]

I understand Jobs' reluctance to put the Apple logo on everything, but I really don't have a problem with the Apple Watch. Leave the "i" for tablet based multitouch tools. Everything else can be spared the i.

The Apple TV was under Jobs, and there is a huge honking Apple logo on the top of it. Calling it "Apple" will join the devices with the Apple TV, rather than with the iOS devices. Maybe save the iName for the iOS devices.

 

[Wayfarer]

The name iWatch has been overused, anyway.

 

[APlotdevice]

The Apple TV was under Jobs, and there is a huge honking Apple logo on the top of it. Calling it "Apple" will join the devices with the Apple TV, rather than with the iOS devices. Maybe save the iName for the iOS devices.

The Apple TV was called iTV when first unveiled. They changed it after the UK broadcaster ITV threatened legal action.

 

[kdarling]

http://www.iphonejd.com/iphone_jd/2009/01/the-i-in-iphone.html

Got curious about the origin and reasoning of putting "i" in front of everything, found this mildly interesting article.

Neat, although that article's history starts after Jobs warmed up to using "iMac".

He originally wanted to call it the MacMan (because he admired Sony and its WalkMan), but was talked out of it by his ad agency, who came up with some i-meanings.

As for using "i" in front, Apple was actually rather late to that party. All through the 1990s, as the internet and interactivity became hot, people (especially industry insiders) were using i-this and i-that to describe the latest fads.

I once compiled a rather large list of trademarked i-names that predated Apple's usage, and I'm sure it's nowhere near complete:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/19215048/

 

[macmacguy]

Interesting article.