iMac, iBook, iPod, iPhone. When we look at the names of major Apple products, we see an overwhelming logic and simple system for naming them. With this story, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking that the decision to call the iPhone the iPhone was only a matter of seconds in Steve Jobs’ head.
But to think that is, as I say, a mistake. This name, “iPhone”, marked the beginning of a new era but also the end of a history of decisions which They might as well have named the phone with completely different names. Names that we now consider very strange, but which still had meaning.
Alternative names to “iPhone” that Apple was considering
The story of the iPhone’s alternate names was told by publicist Ken Segall, who worked with Steve Jobs as they prepared to launch the original model of the phone. You can see the anecdote in the video above, although I will understand if you can’t do it due to its poor quality. Here is the list of possible names in case you can’t use “iPhone”:
- ‘Moby’ It was a simple name, easy to remember and pronounce, unlike any brand of yesteryear. According to Segall, this gave “personality” to a device that would be extremely mobile and allow us to have a permanent Internet connection in our pocket.
- ‘Tripod’ This was another option that had some intelligence: going from iPod to TriPod meant moving up a level, it felt like a more advanced device. The idea was that the iPhone was the union of a trio of different devices: an iPod, a phone and an Internet communicator formed a TriPod. Maybe it would have been confused with tripods, but I guess Apple’s marketing would have worked its magic.
- ‘TelePod’ It all started with something simpler: if you connect a phone to an iPod, you get a TelePod. It’s perhaps too long, but it would have had its game.
- ‘MicroMac’. For me, the worst. Yes, Steve Jobs made it clear that the iPhone was a pocket Mac, but frankly, I can’t imagine going to an Apple Store to buy a “MicroMac 15 Pro Max.” In any case, I would have preferred Mac nano.
- ‘iPad’ It’s perhaps the most surprising name, but ultimately the iPhone is nothing more than a miniature iPad. It is always a “Pad”, a panel, a whiteboard that fits in our pockets. It would have been curious to have a range of iPads with sizes ranging from 4 to 13 inches, right?
The iPhone wasn’t the only “iPhone”
All of these names were there, on a “just in case” list that covered the possibility of not being able to use the “iPhone” brand. And that was a very real possibility, because The name “iPhone” previously appeared on a Cisco phone (which in turn acquired from a company called InfoGear). Apple wanted to use it and provoked a battle for the rights, which ended in an agreement between the two companies.
The original iPhone didn’t come from Apple, but from InfoGear.
In this agreement, Apple and Cisco agreed be able to use the “iPhone” brand on your devices at the same time and collaborate on joint security and consumer projects. After all, one was a landline and the other was a smart mobile phone that ushered in a new category. There would be no direct competition.
Without this agreement, we might now be talking about a TriPod, or a MicroMac, or simply a very expanded range of iPads. Personally, I’m happy that Apple and Cisco have made peace: the iPhone simply scales better.
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