Why is the iPhone called the iPhone at all? What does the lowercase letter “i” at the end stand for? Anyone who thinks they know is probably wrong because the whole truth has almost been forgotten.
It’s actually quite clear: Apple’s world-famous nomenclature began with the first iMac in 1998 – iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. That’s right, but what did the little “i” stand for in the knobbly all-in-one?
Worth knowing: The “i” in iPhone doesn’t just mean “Internet”
Some Apple users think they know the answer and shout: Internet! Correct. The worldwide web was really taking off at the time, and the iMac was the ideal launch pad. But that doesn’t answer the question completely. What has been forgotten is that the small “i” also had other meanings.
Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder and long-time CEO, revealed the meaning of the small letter right at the presentation of the iMac. In other words: individual, instruct, inform, inspire. Initially, the iMac was supposed to stand for all of these things, but later, the “i” was quickly adopted for other products. It became Apple’s unmistakable trademark to this day.
The “i” no longer has much of a future
However, Apple has made less and less use of it in recent years. For example, there is no iWatch or iTV. Instead, we enjoy the Apple Watch and the Apple TV. iTunes has also been more or less buried in the meantime, replaced by Apple Music. But the iPhone will probably still be called iPhone and not Apple Phone – we’re pretty sure of that.
This post has already been read 5853 times!