Apple iPhone 15 Plus ( left ) and Apple iPhone 15 Pro MaxAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
When Steve Jobsannounced the first iPhoneon January 9 , 2007 , it was a mo that changed the cell speech sound market forever . In one of the most illustrious merchandise reveals in account , Jobs said it was three products in one : a widescreen iPod with pinch controls , a radical fluid headphone , and a find cyberspace communications twist .
But have you ever wondered what the “ i ” in iPhone stands for ? It ’s not just the iPhone that has the “ i ” in the name — there ’s also theiPad , iMac , iPod , and more . In the past three decades , there have beenalmost 30 products from Apple ( both in hardware and computer software ) that start with a small letter “ i. ”
So again , what does that “ i ” stand for ? Let ’s dive into a bit of Apple account and find out .
It started in 1998 with the iMac
Before Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 , the company was on the verge of bankruptcy . The 1998 iMac was basically the gimmick that saved Apple . job described the iMac as an innovative personal computer that was designed to be an easy on - Allium tricoccum to get onto the internet .
Jobs formally revealed the iMac on May 6 , 1998 . He said this about the iMac name : “ iMac comes from the marriage ceremony of the excitement of the net with the simplicity of the Macintosh . Even though this is a full - full-blood Macintosh , we are targeting this for the routine one use that consumer tell us they need a computer for , which is to get on the cyberspace — simply and fast . ”
While we may call up that the cyberspace is no big deal these days , it was a huge deal back in 1998 , when it was not so common . But the “ i ” also stands for more than just the internet . During that presentation , Jobs borrow from Segall ’s original pitch for the iMac name and revealed that the “ i ” also fend for “ case-by-case , ” “ learn , ” “ inform , ” and “ inspire . ”
What about the iPhone?
After the first iMac , Apple in 1999 take on the “ i ” moniker for the iBook , which was essentially the firstmainstreamportable computing equipment from Apple . Then get the iPod in 2001 , which became one of the most successful products in Apple ’s total story . But what ’s after the iPod ?
In 2007 , the iPhone was revealed to the world . But there were other public figure that the iPhone could have been called , concord to 9to5Mac , including “ Mobi , ” “ TriPod , ” “ Telepod , ” and even “ iPad . ”
Thankfully , someone thought the “ i ” moniker would be a perfect fit with “ phone , ” which , if we were going with the original “ internet ” meaning , would be “ net phone . ” And that ’s basically what theiPhonehas always been — an internet communicator .
Even if you ask Apple itself , there is n’t a concrete answer . But moot that the biggest lineament of the first iPhone was receive a full internet experience on a mobile phone , it logistically makes sense .
And debate that the iPhone has pass the iPod as Apple ’s most successful intersection ever , it ’s difficult to think that the “ iPhone ” name is going anyway anytime soon .
