what does the "i" stand for? [Archive]

nazariteguitar

Sep 8, 2003, 12:49 PM

OK, call me a Mac nOOB, I know it . what does (i)everything stand for:

itunes
imac
ibook
ilife
ipod
iphoto
idvd

The whole world is "i" ahhhhh..

Honestly what does it stand for (my best guess is "internet").

emeraldstone

Sep 8, 2003, 12:51 PM

Good question. Ask Steve.

MacBandit

Sep 8, 2003, 12:53 PM

When the iMac first came out it stood for Internet Mac. Now it simply means that it's a next generation consumer product.

Powerbook G5

Sep 8, 2003, 01:12 PM

That's basically it. It went from meaning Internet to just any basic consumer oriented product from Apple.

montecristo

Sep 8, 2003, 01:31 PM

The fact that the "i" has evolved from "internet" to any consumer-oriented product from Apple again demonstrates the power Apple has in innovating, foreseeing and creating the future. Other non-apple products have also tried to cash in on the "iProduct" idea. So, I think the "i" is starting to evolve into meaning a tech-savvy, life-simplifying product.

strider42

Sep 8, 2003, 01:40 PM

Originally posted by montecristo
The fact that the "i" has evolved from "internet" to any consumer-oriented product from Apple again demonstrates the power Apple has in innovating, foreseeing and creating the future. Other non-apple products have also tried to cash in on the "iProduct" idea. So, I think the "i" is starting to evolve into meaning a tech-savvy, life-simplifying product.

I think it demonstrates that the internet is not the be all and end all of computers. Thats why internet appliances and things like webTV fail. The internet is great and all, but sometimes the computer just needs to do more, which apple seems fully congnizant of.

MacBandit

Sep 8, 2003, 02:14 PM

Originally posted by strider42
I think it demonstrates that the internet is not the be all and end all of computers. Thats why internet appliances and things like webTV fail. The internet is great and all, but sometimes the computer just needs to do more, which apple seems fully congnizant of.

That's true but I also think that the more broadband access becomes the norm the more devices will be successful that rely on it. I also think Apple recognizes this and that it's just a little too soon to be pushing internet only devices as of yet.

ump3

Sep 8, 2003, 02:31 PM

Couldn't it be simply 'i' as in me (and you) :D its my tunes, my photos, my pod!?

can't wait to see these in production:

istrain
ilash
iball
i-of-the-tiger :)

MacBandit

Sep 8, 2003, 02:38 PM

Originally posted by ump3
Couldn't it be simply 'i' as in me (and you) :D its my tunes, my photos, my pod!?

can't wait to see these in production:

istrain
ilash
iball
i-of-the-tiger :)

Well it could but Apple did explain what it meant when the iMac came out as I posted above.

OutThere

Sep 8, 2003, 02:51 PM

iRemeber;) that when I got my original iMac DV the first startup movie mentioned a lot about how easy it was to get on the internet and it came with all these assistants to get on the internet. It was pretty cool and worked well, unlike Xp's wizrds.

Edit: nOOB

n00b (zeroes)

SiliconAddict

Sep 8, 2003, 04:56 PM

Compaq iPaq
Its not just an Apple hangup. I'm actually somewhat suprised that X hasn't taken off. xTunes xPod xSync and.....OS X

montecristo

Sep 8, 2003, 05:01 PM

Originally posted by SiliconAddict
I'm actually somewhat suprised that X hasn't taken off. xTunes xPod xSync and.....OS X

It's already been tried: Windows XP....That didn't work so well. What's an "xP?" An "ex-Pee". What is that?

TEG

Sep 8, 2003, 05:37 PM

XP, in Greek Chi Ro. Cairo is Greek for Jesus, there fore M$ thinks Windows XP is Jesus!!

Long live the i = my (or mine)

TEG

beefstu01

Sep 8, 2003, 06:09 PM

AXP

Alpha Chi Rho

(My friend is in it.... crazy bunch)

rainman::|:|

Sep 8, 2003, 06:26 PM

Originally posted by TEG
XP, in Greek Chi Ro. Cairo is Greek for Jesus, there fore M$ thinks Windows XP is Jesus!!

yep. time for a crucifixion.

Powerbook G5

Sep 8, 2003, 07:25 PM

I just assumed it was XP because Microsoft always enjoys copying Apple so they took X from OS X and added a P just so it wouldn't be too obvious. It just seems odd that for so long it has been Win 95, 98, 2000, ME, 2003...then once they saw the success of OS X coming out, suddenly Windows has "X" in their Windows, too.

Waluigi

Sep 8, 2003, 07:34 PM

Originally posted by Powerbook G5
I just assumed it was XP because Microsoft always enjoys copying Apple so they took X from OS X and added a P just so it wouldn't be too obvious

Hahahahahahaha. I like that, obvious, but not too obvious.

--Waluigi

jefhatfield

Sep 8, 2003, 08:05 PM

Originally posted by nazariteguitar
OK, call me a Mac nOOB, I know it . what does (i)everything stand for:

itunes
imac
ibook
ilife
ipod
iphoto
idvd

The whole world is "i" ahhhhh..

Honestly what does it stand for (my best guess is "internet").

i think with the imac and ibook, it was for the "internet", but now, it's just a letter and it still "sounds cool"...hopefully

scem0

Sep 8, 2003, 09:09 PM

I had always thought it stood for 'imagine'.....

hmmm....

scem0

Schiffi

Sep 8, 2003, 09:25 PM

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the i means:

incrediblycoolandgreaterthananythingelseyoucanbuyfortheprice

whooleytoo

Sep 8, 2003, 09:29 PM

Originally posted by MacBandit
Well it could but Apple did explain what it meant when the iMac came out as I posted above.

Well.. the i in iPhoto doesn't mean Internet, nor does the i in iPod, nor the i in iDVD. With the original iMac, it meant Internet, now I think it does just mean "I", as in "me".

hulugu

Sep 8, 2003, 10:21 PM

Originally the 'i' in iMac meant internet, but I've come to believe that the 'i' stands for individual, insight, intuition, all those good 'i' words.
XP, as I understand, stand for eXtreme Programming, just as ME stood for Millenium Edition. Of course, that means MS doesn't get whole acronym thing real well, but I disgress.

Macpoops

Sep 8, 2003, 11:15 PM

always thought XP was for eXPeriance, the Windows Experiance, more like eXtreme Pain in the A$$

hulugu

Sep 8, 2003, 11:31 PM

I've used XP and I've found it fine:

as long as the computer's unplugged

rimshot

Seriously, XP is best of the litter with regards to Windows, and it does do some things rather well so long as you don't use Explorer, Outlook, change any drives or devices and generally baby it. And you don't mind MS looking at the kind of program you use, nor the worms virii...

wait, XP sucks. Nevermind. Go back to the beginning please.

MacBandit

Sep 9, 2003, 01:09 AM

Originally posted by whooley
Well.. the i in iPhoto doesn't mean Internet, nor does the i in iPod, nor the i in iDVD. With the original iMac, it meant Internet, now I think it does just mean "I", as in "me".

That's true but it doesn't necessarily have to mean anything. How many names of products out there have any meaning to the product? I would have to guess 99.9% of them. In any case if I had to chose a name meaning besides internet I would use it in the context of a incomplete sentence with the name of the product being a verb and the I meaning the user. So iMac would mean that the user uses a Mac and so on.

iTag

Sep 9, 2003, 07:52 AM

heres a thought the i Stands for internet and also:

interactive
intresting
indviual
informative
inner peace
i think therefore i am
intelegent
interlocking (dont ask just thought)

well theres some ideas for you i know that it was internet but these are what it can stand for now in so many many many wonderfull ways oh joy to the osx

XP suppose to be exsperance and it is its how to learn how to use drivers install more drivers make sure that your virus defentions are uptodate which are a waist of time and also how to setup a home network with a mac or linux box yayy but shouldnt it be ex instead of xp god knows..

why dose religion and windows always seem to mix or should i say Microsoft is bill religious

whooleytoo

Sep 9, 2003, 08:12 AM

Originally posted by MacBandit
That's true but it doesn't necessarily have to mean anything. How many names of products out there have any meaning to the product? I would have to guess 99.9% of them. In any case if I had to chose a name meaning besides internet I would use it in the context of a incomplete sentence with the name of the product being a verb and the I meaning the user. So iMac would mean that the user uses a Mac and so on.

Yup, that's what I meant too.. Even though "iSight" doesn't really make sense, but then when have Apple been grammatically correct?!?! ("Think Differently"?)

At least these are better than the '90s fashion of changing the "er" at the end of names to "a" (as in Performa). For some reason, that really used to annoy me!

Mike.

encro

Sep 9, 2003, 08:38 AM

A.
I've got my money on: Integrated as the new interpretation. Everything integrated as one, workflow and ease of use increase.

B.
or as an alternative in Steve Jobs talk:
insanelyGreatMovie
insanelyGreatDVD
insanelyGreatPhoto
insanelyGreatTunes
insanelyGreatCal
insanelyGreatChat
insanelyGreatSync
:) really joking on this option.

encro

Sep 9, 2003, 08:42 AM

Originally posted by whooleytoo
Yup, that's what I meant too.. Even though "iSight" doesn't really make sense, but then when have Apple been grammatically correct?!?! ("Think Differently"?)

At least these are better than the '90s fashion of changing the "er" at the end of names to "a" (as in Performa). For some reason, that really used to annoy me!

Mike.

hehe, and the use of the word Correctness in the Java 1.4.1 Update 1 :)

MacBandit

Sep 9, 2003, 11:43 AM

Originally posted by whooleytoo
Yup, that's what I meant too.. Even though "iSight" doesn't really make sense, but then when have Apple been grammatically correct?!?! ("Think Differently"?)

At least these are better than the '90s fashion of changing the "er" at the end of names to "a" (as in Performa). For some reason, that really used to annoy me!

Mike.

Actually I Sight does make since. To sight something or to see something. Also Think Different was grammatically correct. I'm not an English professor but I there are those on these boards that can explain why it is correct.

whooleytoo

Sep 9, 2003, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by MacBandit
Actually I Sight does make since. To sight something or to see something.

Actually, you're right, it does make sense. Although "iSee" might be more catchy and immediate, iSight is the better name because of the obvious pun.

Also Think Different was grammatically correct. I'm not an English professor but I there are those on these boards that can explain why it is correct.

I think you think wrong! ;-)

Mike.

MacBandit

Sep 9, 2003, 05:25 PM

Originally posted by whooley
Actually, you're right, it does make sense. Although "iSee" might be more catchy and immediate, iSight is the better name because of the obvious pun.

I think you think wrong! ;-)

Mike.

This is not the best explanation I have heard on these boards but here is one.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=274953&#post274953

I have heard it explained by English Profs and it is indeed composed correctly. You just have to interepret it in a different way then you would normally.

themadchemist

Sep 9, 2003, 06:15 PM

Originally posted by TEG
XP, in Greek Chi Ro. Cairo is Greek for Jesus, there fore M$ thinks Windows XP is Jesus!!

Long live the i = my (or mine)

TEG

now that's the kind of wit we need to see more of around here! bravo!

G3-Pwnz-G4

Sep 9, 2003, 06:55 PM

the original imac had an "i" standing for "internet", if i'm not mistaken, and since it was such a hit, apple decided to go with it.

MacBandit

Sep 9, 2003, 07:01 PM

Originally posted by G3-Pwnz-G4
the original imac had an "i" standing for "internet", if i'm not mistaken, and since it was such a hit, apple decided to go with it.

Please read a thread fully before posting or it might as well be spam.

Fender2112

Sep 10, 2003, 12:51 PM

Originally posted by MacBandit
That's true but it doesn't necessarily have to mean anything. How many names of products out there have any meaning to the product? I would have to guess 99.9% of them. In any case if I had to chose a name meaning besides internet I would use it in the context of a incomplete sentence with the name of the product being a verb and the I meaning the user. So iMac would mean that the user uses a Mac and so on.

hmmm... how should I explain to my wife that I was Podding until midmight?
Not now, I'm Booking.
I will be Sighting and Maccing for a while, so hold my calls.

:) Couldn't resist. Was too funny, to me anyway.

MacBandit

Sep 10, 2003, 01:10 PM

Originally posted by Fender2112
hmmm... how should I explain to my wife that I was Podding until midmight?
Not now, I'm Booking.
I will be Sighting and Maccing for a while, so hold my calls.

:) Couldn't resist. Was too funny, to me anyway.

Yes, quite!:D

whooleytoo

Sep 10, 2003, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by MacBandit
This is not the best explanation I have heard on these boards but here is one.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=274953&#post274953

I have heard it explained by English Profs and it is indeed composed correctly. You just have to interepret it in a different way then you would normally.

I know I'm getting a bit anal about this (but at least there's two of us! ;-) ... but his explanation is still wrong, if you read it that way the correct version would be: Think OF Different.

Mike.

dcb

Sep 10, 2003, 02:10 PM

Originally posted by whooleytoo
I know I'm getting a bit anal about this (but at least there's two of us! ;-) ... but his explanation is still wrong, if you read it that way the correct version would be: Think OF Different.

Mike.

I agree, if you diagram the sentence think is the verb and different(ly) is the adverb modifying think. (The noun is implied). There is no other way to "interpret" it.

MacBandit

Sep 10, 2003, 04:54 PM

5300cs

Sep 11, 2003, 08:23 AM

I've heard a million times that the "i" stood for "internet". Maybe now it stands for "integration". All the iLife parts are supposed to integrate, along with the iBooks & iPods and such.

Just a thought....

vouder17

Sep 11, 2003, 09:39 AM

I thought it stood for Intelligent..........:D

whooleytoo

Sep 11, 2003, 09:40 AM

Originally posted by MacBandit
So what about, "Be Different"?

That's grammatically correct, but that's a different sentence!

I think we may just have to agree to disagree! ;)

Mike.

Thom_Edwards

Sep 11, 2003, 10:07 AM

Originally posted by dcb
I agree, if you diagram the sentence think is the verb and different(ly) is the adverb modifying think. (The noun is implied). There is no other way to "interpret" it.

actually, there is another way to interpret it. what if i'm describing a ball to someone, but they are blind and have never seen a ball. in this description i might say, "think round". or if i'm describing the color red to that person, i might say, "think hot". now, put that to "think different". first, think. about what, you may ask? well, different!

what if the slogan were Think "Different" with the quotes included. would that change your interpretation of it? just food for thought.....

Thom_Edwards

Sep 11, 2003, 10:12 AM

Originally posted by hulugu
Originally the 'i' in iMac meant internet, but I've come to believe that the 'i' stands for individual, insight, intuition, all those good 'i' words.
XP, as I understand, stand for eXtreme Programming, just as ME stood for Millenium Edition. Of course, that means MS doesn't get whole acronym thing real well, but I disgress.

we (meaning me and my machead buddies) always say "Xtremely Pathetic", and that Win2000 is based on Neandrathal Technology. but we only do that because we're geeks!

whooleytoo

Sep 11, 2003, 10:51 AM

Originally posted by Thom_Edwards
actually, there is another way to interpret it. what if i'm describing a ball to someone, but they are blind and have never seen a ball. in this description i might say, "think round". or if i'm describing the color red to that person, i might say, "think hot". now, put that to "think different". first, think. about what, you may ask? well, different!

Personally, I think Apple went for the double meaning, i.e. Think Different(ly), and Think (of) 'Different'. But the grammar is wrong for both! Hehe. Still, if there's room in the English language for a word like "winningest", then there's room for anything!!

And just to keep the thread light, I'm noticing more and more colloquial expressions that get the point across just so effectively, my favorites:

Fuzzify: To make fuzzy (from computing, but it sounds so cute!)
Automagically:Needs no explanation!

Mike.l

dcb

Sep 11, 2003, 01:10 PM

Originally posted by Thom_Edwards
actually, there is another way to interpret it. what if i'm describing a ball to someone, but they are blind and have never seen a ball. in this description i might say, "think round". or if i'm describing the color red to that person, i might say, "think hot". now, put that to "think different". first, think. about what, you may ask? well, different!

what if the slogan were Think "Different" with the quotes included. would that change your interpretation of it? just food for thought.....

Those are good examples and made me rethink this whole question! I think I may be wrong (I really hate admitting that) I am now thinking that you don't need the (ly) for different to be an adverb. Like the geek that I am, I actually submitted a question to a grammer site, so I guess we will all know sooner or later. Oh how pathetic I feel.

At any rate, it's just a slogan (damn good one) and I think we should probably look at it like the "i" preface that this thread was intended to discuss. Personally, I think the "i", no matter its root meaning has more to do with branding than anything. When we see anything with the "i" in it, we instantly think of Apple, right?

Phil Of Mac

Sep 11, 2003, 01:46 PM

Originally posted by whooleytoo
Yup, that's what I meant too.. Even though "iSight" doesn't really make sense, but then when have Apple been grammatically correct?!?! ("Think Differently"?)

"Think Different" is all about nonconformism. It's very conformist to obey inefficient grammatical standards. "Think Different" is self-demonstrative: it not only tells you to reconsider convention, it reconsiders grammatical convention itself.

airmac

Sep 11, 2003, 01:53 PM

i (mmortal) Walk

Walk different!!!

Think virus...:D

MacBandit

Sep 11, 2003, 02:06 PM

Originally posted by whooleytoo
That's grammatically correct, but that's a different sentence!

I think we may just have to agree to disagree! ;)

Mike.

Well here's what I'm getting at. Be and Think are both verbs so what's the difference? Just because it sounds odd?

Hey no need to back away. I'm not arguing here just a friendly discussion. I'm having fun and I'm not stressing about it. Though if I feel like I'm losing the discussion at any time watch out I'll just have to grab some of the big guns on this site that know at little more about this particular subject then I let on to.:p

lem0nayde

Sep 11, 2003, 02:18 PM

I'd say the "i" stands for innovation - the one thing Apple does that almost noone else in the industry is doing.

Actually, I remember when one of the i products was released, during the Stevenote he mentioned a bunch of different words starting with i that the product represented "innovation, imagination ...and so on." That was the point at which the i stopped standing for internet and just became a corporate branding moniker (as if it wasn't always).

After all people - what the hell does the Apple in Apple Computer stand for? As far as I know - my computer has no parts made from fruit.

:D

Joe

MacBandit

Sep 11, 2003, 02:40 PM

Originally posted by lem0nayde
I'd say the "i" stands for innovation - the one thing Apple does that almost noone else in the industry is doing.

Actually, I remember when one of the i products was released, during the Stevenote he mentioned a bunch of different words starting with i that the product represented "innovation, imagination ...and so on." That was the point at which the i stopped standing for internet and just became a corporate branding moniker (as if it wasn't always).

After all people - what the hell does the Apple in Apple Computer stand for? As far as I know - my computer has no parts made from fruit.

:D

Joe

The Apple stands for a new way of thinking as in Newton and the falling Apple. Here's the original logo.

5300cs

Sep 11, 2003, 05:08 PM

Originally posted by lem0nayde ...After all people - what the hell does the Apple in Apple Computer stand for? As far as I know - my computer has no parts made from fruit.

:D

Joe

Steve Jobs is/was a strong follower of Zen Buddhism, and he used to meditate and work in a local Apple orchard, hence the name Apple Computer (see the above attached original Apple Computer logo.) Zen Buddhism requires silence when meditating, thus the original Apple machines had no noisy fan.

Phil Of Mac

Sep 11, 2003, 05:11 PM

Indeed. The original Macintosh had no fan, which meant that it had no hard drive. Steve's utter refusal to, among other things, put a hard drive in a Mac led to his 1985 departure from Apple, at which point Apple promptly made a Macintosh model with a fan.

davidc2182

Sep 11, 2003, 05:59 PM

it stands for either intelligence or internet depending on the product, intelligent tunes or internet mac, intelligent pod, etc.

johnnowak

Sep 11, 2003, 07:42 PM

dcb

Sep 12, 2003, 08:27 AM

An english professors take on Think Different

This is a response from Professor Charles Darling about Think Different:

"The Shorter OED does allow for the use of "different" as an adverb, but refers to it as "dialectal," meaning it's not entirely within the good graces of Standard English (as in "She thinks she knows different.") I do wonder what those Macintosh people had in mind, if anything . . . ."

That's good enough for me.

MacBandit

Sep 12, 2003, 12:23 PM

Originally posted by dcb
An english professors take on Think Different

This is a response from Professor Charles Darling about Think Different:

"The Shorter OED does allow for the use of "different" as an adverb, but refers to it as "dialectal," meaning it's not entirely within the good graces of Standard English (as in "She thinks she knows different.") I do wonder what those Macintosh people had in mind, if anything . . . ."

That's good enough for me.

That's basically how the english prof put it to me. With my inferior english education I was unable to remember it or to repeat it to anyone here in anyway. It's good to have some confirmation that the guy wasn't blowing smoke out is butt.