Sony wanted “i.Link,” with that uncomfortable period after the “i.” TI wanted “Lynx,” which isn’t a terrible pun (and Apple isn’t afraid of wordplay, like AirPort, but only if they come up with it). That decision would spawn Apple’s rampant use of the “i” prefix, which is now being phased out as newer products generally just start with the word “Apple.” 5 | FireWire was almost called i.Link or LynxĪpple developed FireWire with Sony and Texas Instruments, and they both brought their own names to the table. Jobs pushed hard for MacMan (it seems like he loses a decent number of naming battles), but caved to his team pushing for iMac. 4 | iMac was almost called MacMan, EveryMac or MiniMac Apparently that stopped being a basis of disqualification when they settled on “iPad” a few years later. They rejected “Freedom” because they thought it sounded like a feminine hygiene product. 3 | Safari was almost called Freedom, Alexander or iBrowse As for Mobi and Tripod, I assume they were rejected due to their associations with a small bald DJ and the ’90s free web hosting platform for X-Files fan sites, respectively. They also considered iPad, which they put in their back pocket for later. But apparently someone had the foresight to realize the “tele” aspect would become among the least important uses of a phone. Telepod makes sense - it was a telephone iPod, after all, and the iPod had a ton of credibility as a brand back then. 2 | iPhone was almost called Telepod, Mobi, Tripod or iPad Ultimately they decided to keep things in the Apple theme and went for McIntosh apples, but had to add an “a” to avoid stepping on another company’s trademark. Steve Jobs really pushed hard for “Bicycle” (which is right in line with his “ruthless capitalist hippie” persona) and a marketing team came up with Allegro and Apple 40. Here are 11 Apple products (well, 10 and the company itself as the 11th) that were almost given very different names… 1 | Macintosh was almost called Bicycle, Allegro or Apple 40 I was surprised, in researching, that no one has ever collected all of those names in one place before. But occasionally, some of the brainstormed names for their products manage to leak out and allow us to envision an alternate Apple reality. Would all of that still be true if I were writing on a Bicycle Air by Matrix Electronics and you were reading in Freedom on a Telepod?Īpple is, perhaps, as branding and marketing focused as any major company ever. (A more mobile-friendly version of this website is coming soon, by the way.) There’s a decent chance you’re reading this list in Safari on an iPhone. I’m writing this list on a Macbook Air by Apple. Apple’s alternate names for the iMac, Apple TV, Safari, iPhone and more.
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