Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Purchased iSlate.com in 2007. Apple's New Tablet Called iSlate?

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,198
38,989


With rumors of the Apple tablet reaching new highs, MacRumors has found evidence of that Apple acquired the domain name iSlate.com presumably in preparation for the new device.

The iSlate.com domain was originally registered in October 2004 by a comany called Eurobox Ltd. It since changed hands to Data Docket, Inc. in 2006. In 2007, however, the domain was transferred to registrar MarkMonitor.com. MarkMonitor handles domain name registrations and trademark protections for many companies including Apple. As typical, however, the name of the actual registrant was initially hidden to obscure the identify of the actual owner. Up until this point, one could still easily dismiss all this as a simple coincidence.

However, after further investigation of the domain name registrant history, it seems Apple's name was temporarily exposed as the actual owner of "iSlate.com" for several weeks in late 2007. It was changed back within a few weeks, but MacRumors has found the historic record proving Apple ownership of the iSlate.com domain:


231621-historic.jpg


Historic Whois record for iSlate.com
iSlate.com currently points to no website. Apple is rumored to be announcing an Apple tablet in early 2010 and given this evidence "iSlate" seems a likely candidate for the device's name.

Thanks to Mark Gurman from AppleRejectedMe.com for first pointing us in the direction of iSlate.com


Article Link: Apple Purchased iSlate.com in 2007. Apple's New Tablet Called iSlate?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/12/24/apple-purchased-islate-com-in-2007-apples-new-tablet-called-islate/
iSlate..I don't know..That sounds pretty good, although it also could kinda sound like "iRock" or "iStone" don't want to sound stone age. :)
 
It's better than "iTablet", "MacBook Nano" or recycling "iBook" (there are some of those still in service, after all).

Good scoop, Arn. :)
 
Jason Chen talked about the name 'making sense.' I feel Slate is perfectly applicable. The 'i' makes sense in front of phone but slate should be it's own.

I'd buy a Slate.
 
People register domains like it's going out of style. Particularly corporations. Hell, Verizon owns 'verizonsucks.com'. I know people with tiny companies that own dozens of vaguely related domains simply because they don't want a potential competitor or disgruntled customer with ill will to gank it and use it against them. I think Apple owning iSlate.com means very, very little.
 
WOW, that would be a terrible name.....For anything! And yes the I prefix is getting real old!
 
Probably nothing. They needed to protect the i* names for trademark reasons, and registration costs pocket change.
 
The editor of the NY Times DID call it the 'Apple Slate'.

They will never get the domain name for slate.com, since that's an on-line magazine (originally started by Microsoft, ironically).

The Apple Slate sounds nice. iSlate just sounds...stupid.
 
I think the name Slate is better than iSlate, but whatever. Sounds better than most of the names being tossed around.
 
iSlate isn't totally horrible. Would have liked iPad better. It doesn't have the same ring as iPhone. Anyway what's in a name?
 
cmaier said:
Probably nothing. They needed to protect the i* names for trademark reasons, and registration costs pocket change.
Click to expand...


I would agree here, myself. iSlate is still better than iTablet; though either name could be discarded for the better. MacTablet has my vote until I see or hear of a better name.
 
cmaier said:
Probably nothing. They needed to protect the i* names for trademark reasons, and registration costs pocket change.
Click to expand...

well, not if you buy it from an existing owner.

arn
 
I'm conflicted on this name. I am hoping that the tablet, if/when released, would be available without contract lock-in. This diminishes my hopes a little bit. I would think that if this was designed as a more fully featured device, it would carry the "Mac" prefix carried by Apple's computing products (with the exception of the iMac, but that's been around for a decade). With this name, my impression is that the tablet might not be as fully featured as I had hoped; it could possibly be sold under a contract plan, as with the iPhone and AT&T. Hopefully this isn't very bad news. Of course, this is all ramblings based off of a domain name registration. Regardless, I'm crossing my fingers.
 
I hate the name.

How about an iTab? iTap?

idk, I want it to start with an i prefix with a T immediately following... and maybe it should end in an X?
 
Revelation78 said:
I would agree here, myself. iSlate is still better than iTablet; though either name could be discarded for the better. MacTablet has my vote until I see or hear of a better name.
Click to expand...

Except that from all evidence this is not a Mac though I hope it has more of the capabilities of the Mac OS.
 
milbournosphere said:
I'm conflicted on this name. I am hoping that the tablet, if/when released, would be available without contract lock-in. This diminishes my hopes a little bit. I would think that if this was designed as a more fully featured device, it would carry the "Mac" prefix carried by Apple's computing products (with the exception of the iMac, but that's been around for a decade). With this name, my impression is that the tablet might not be as fully featured as I had hoped; it could possibly be sold under a contract plan, as with the iPhone and AT&T. Hopefully this isn't very bad news. Of course, this is all ramblings based off of a domain name registration. Regardless, I'm crossing my fingers.
Click to expand...
It just told me that it'll probably be under the "i" family of devices and run iPhone OS (using corresponding hardware) instead of being under the "Mac" family of devices (using corresponding hardware). Agreed that an "i" device won't be as fully featured as a "Mac" device, but I don't think that necessarily means a contract.

ArtOfWarfare said:
I hate the name.

How about an iTab? iTap?
Click to expand...
iTap sounds like an Apple faucet.

ArtOfWarfare said:
idk, I want it to start with an i prefix with a T immediately following... and maybe it should end in an X?
Click to expand...
iTax?
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
I hate the name.

How about an iTab? iTap?

idk, I want it to start with an i prefix with a T immediately following... and maybe it should end in an X?
Click to expand...

No, that is almost worse than "i". Apple pulls out the "X" or the word "Pro" whenever some product is too badass/hardcore for an "i"

-Mac OS X
-Quicktime X
-XCode
-XGrid
-XServe
-Somewhere in Final Cut (actually Compressor) is "CompressorTranscoderX"
-There's a rumor about "Aperture X"
-"Xmac"
-Final Cut Pro
-Logic Pro
-MacBook Pro
-Mac Pro
-Soundtrack Pro
-Quicktime Pro
 
Well, I know opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one lol, but here's mine.

iDon't like it. MacTab or MacAnything would be a better option in my opinion. Then again, I also didn't like the rudimentary "iPhone" when it was announced. For a device that is more than a "phone", I thought iMobile would have been better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back