If we tell you about Ken Segall, you probably don’t know who we’re talking about. If we talk to you about the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone or the iPad, surely yes. Well, Ken Segall and all of these products have a lot in common, since Segall was the man behind the “i” in Apple products.
He’s an advertising creative, still active, and recently spoke with Wired to specifically trash his work. Not directly or literally, but he expressed a somewhat curious opinion when he stated that it’s better for Apple to get rid of these product names. Something that Tim Cook’s Apple already does.
“There I of the iPhone has become obsolete”
A brand can and should have several meanings. The ideal for those who create them is to be the ones who attribute them, even if ultimately it is the public who develops them. To know the origin of the meaning that Apple products have with the letter “i”, we have to go back almost 30 years ago.
In 1998, Ken Segall was hired by Apple with its marketing agency to looking for a differentiating element for a brand like Apple which did not yet have all the prestige it has today. It was known, certainly, but not so much on a global level. Their products remained specialized and difficult to remember by name.
That year, the first iMac in history was presented. The concept of “Mac” wasn’t new at all, but the vowel that, in perfect lowercase, appeared before it was. The meaning of this letter was explained by Steve Jobs himself: the Internet (because it was a connected device), educate (because it was perfect for the educational field), individual (because it was a personal computer), inform (because he was good at finding information) and inspire (because like all Apple products, creativity was sought with them).
Obviously, these concepts made sense at the time and continued to make sense even for the iPhone. After all, having the Internet in your pocket was still a strange thing in 2007, when Apple’s first smartphone was presented. Today, The “i” refers to concepts that are already obsolete and this is something that Segall himself recognizes.
Stopping using the “i” will not lead to a drop in sales
The Apple Watch is a good example of a sales leader without having the “i” in its name
Ashwin Krishnaswamy of Forge Design and Anton Perreau of Battenhall agree that Apple would not suffer in sales if it stopped using the “i”. They hide behind the maturity and entity that Apple already has at a global level so as not to need these distinctive elements in the name.
Experts believe that Tim Cook will not hesitate to remove this prefix. And the truth is that it’s not just their theory, but the latest new products prove them right on both counts, both in the sense that Cook doesn’t hesitate to eliminate the “i” and in the fact that the product can continue to sell well. while continuing to partner with Apple.
Logically, many continue to associate the prefix “i” with the brand of the bitten apple, but the truth is that we already have examples of successful products that are far from this style. The best examples are Apple Watch and AirPods, two devices launched in the last decade. And without the “i” in front. The Vision Pro, whose impact is still premature to measure, is another example of Apple’s abandonment of this marketing idea.
The big farewell to the “i” will take place at the same time as the farewell to the iPhone
Vision Pro, Apple’s newest and innovative product, although with a different idea than replacing the iPhone
Many experts agree to point to Vision Pro or others to come and linked to artificial intelligence as replacements for the iPhone. However, the iPhone is not dead. Additionally, in Apple’s latest earnings announcement we see how always represents 50% of total income the company.
That being said, it is difficult to imagine in the short term a device so extremely revolutionary as to monopolize half of Apple’s revenues. In any case, both the promoter of the “i” and the rest of the experts consulted by Wired believe that this farewell will only take place with the iPhone. Indeed, on a commercial level, this is an outdated strategy and, in the interest of Apple’s future campaigns, it would be advisable to no longer save the “i” for other products.
In Applesfera | Steve Jobs chose the name Apple to “hack” the phone book and present himself to this rival company
In Applesfera | Apple logo: the only reason it’s a bitten apple, there are six theories and five are lies
