Another Buried Apple Trademark - 'iGuide' as Another Name or Service for iSlate?

[MacRumors]

With the revelation that Apple had acquired the iSlate.com domain and iSlate trademarks, it seemed clear to us that iSlate was the likely name for Apple's upcoming tablet computer. While we agree with skeptics that these historic actions can't prove Apple's intent to follow through, we still think they are a very clear signal.

In order to confirm or deny the belief that Apple may have registered alternative options for their upcoming tablet, we did some extensive research looking for evidence for more of these hidden trademark and domain registrations. In the end, we were able to find one other trademark registration that was made on behalf of Apple through a company called iGuide Media, LLC.

iGuide Media, LLC. is another Delaware-based company whose sole purpose appears to be to obtain a trademark on behalf of Apple, Inc. In this case they have a single trademark application for the term "iGuide" that is currently pending. The application was first filed in December 2007. Again, we found Apple's Senior Trademark Specialist Regina Porter's signatures on the trademark documents linking iGuide Media, LLC to Apple, Inc. Meanwhile, the lawyer handling the paperwork for the iGuide trademark is the same lawyer who filed for the iPhone trademark under Ocean Telecom Services, also on behalf of Apple. Like iSlate, it seems clear that Apple created iGuide Media, LLC to obtain the iGuide trademark.

iGuide seems to be another possible name for Apple's upcoming tablet computer. In fact, the trademark classification for iGuide seems to be particularly telling. While most of these classifications seem to cover an overly broad range of possibilties, iGuide's paints a picture of an all-purpose media browser:

Computer hardware and computer software for accessing, browsing, searching, recording, organizing, storing, transmitting, receiving, manipulating, streaming, reproducing, playing, and reviewing audio, video, games, music, television, movies, photographs, and other multimedia content

Even more revealing was a later passage which describes downloadable electronic content of a wide variety:

Downloadable electronic publications in the nature of books, magazines, newsletters, journals, and blogs in the fields of entertainment, sports, science, history, culture, celebrities, news, current events, politics, technology, and education;

This description mirrors many of the recent rumors that Apple had approached magazines and newspapers to provide their content in a format for the upcoming tablet. iGuide, of course, could describe a service or software application that might launch alongside the tablet itself.

So for those who weren't happy with iSlate as the possible name for the Apple Tablet, iGuide appears to be another option, though frankly, we still prefer iSlate.

Article Link: Another Buried Apple Trademark - 'iGuide' as an Alternative Name to iSlate

 

[zarusoba]

Can't say I like either of 'em.

One of 'em's a piece of stone, the other too specific.

 

[iWoz]

I'd much prefer iSlate over iGuide

 

[Truffy]

iGuide is a crap name for a tablet. In fact it's a pretty crappy name for just about anything.

 

[fastbite]

yes, iGuide sounds very weird...

 

[sascha h-k]

i have the right name: iTen

®me ...

 

[violaboy]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

Both names are iCrap

 

[localoid]

It's a shame iPanacea was already taken...

 

[talkingfuture]

If it had to be between those two names I prefer iSlate to iGuide. Lets hope they have some other secret filings for a way more cooler name though.

 

[Max_Walker]

Phishing...

yes, iGuide sounds very weird...

If you had Apple's cash mountain and a copyright department with nothing to do but protect your existing and future trademarks you would be buying up all domain names that could be useful to your company or could be a problem if someone else owned them. So, iGuide is an obvious target for anyone wanting to provide a 'guide' to Mac computers - if I were Apple, I'd secure it - it is a long stretch to think it has anything to do with a tablet computer.

This is another 'non' article when everyone is speculating what Apple might announce next month.

 

[matrixhacker]

sounds like a satellite navigation kit. I prefer iSlate. Then again, i'd rather have something like iSheet.

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

iGuide, iSlate, iWatver. Dont really care what apple names this thing. All I want is that apple announces it asap

 

[fat phil]

They probably have a lot of meetings about how to co-ordinate disinformation and increase speculation, but it's not difficult to go too far; when everything is expected to be prefixed with a letter, iFatigue is sure to set in...

 

[Compile 'em all]

iGuide?

uhmmm...No.

 

[iphones4evry1]

Any chance they filed one for just "Tablet" ?

Please tell me that upon further research, you have now found a patent for "Tablet"

 

[trule]

lame again, why assume that it *must* start with an "i"?

Anyhow, the real rumours were that this device would be aimed at publishing as the "killer feature", in direct competition with Kindle. Therefore the perfect "i" name would be "iBook" ... and guess who already owns that trademark for over a decade?

 

[gekkota]

I was kinda hoping for "iPad."

 

[Srai-W]

iGuide? Seems much more likely to either be a piece of software or a piece of GPS hardware. Maybe Apple will release iGuide on the iSlate in iJanuary?

 

[ratcliffe]

iGuide

iGuide I would guess is a service for the iSlate - travel, restaurants, TV show listings, events listings - iEverything.

 

[Bonte]

iGuide could be a good name for the digital bookstore, your guide for books and interactive media. Interactive books will also blur the line between books, music and video.

 

[spyinthesky]

Just think about it

iGuide? Seems much more likely to either be a piece of software or a piece of GPS hardware. Maybe Apple will release iGuide on the iSlate in iJanuary?

Absolutely, a year or two ago there was much talk of the potential for the Touch, iPhone being used in all sorts of ways to use as educational tools and guides to our world and much suggested work Apple was doing itself in this direction, of which little has been heard since though others have produced apps or exploited the devices in this area. This will be the perfect branding for such developments and the fact that Apple has been quiet on producing its own apps so far for the iPhone/Touch may well be answered once the Tablet device is launched. It won't be the name of the device itself however.

 

[trekkie604]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

iGuide and iSlate are both craptastic names for a tablet

 

[albusseverus]

sounds like a satellite navigation kit. I prefer iSlate. Then again, i'd rather have something like iSheet.

Sounds like a name for whatever comes of that 'Maps to the next level' job Apple advertised recently.

Or maybe these rumours are merely Apple's way of finding out where the leaks are, before the revelation of the REAL name of the tablet.

Can't say iSlate is blowing too many kilts up either - unless they do some kind of Flintstones theme… (get Weird Al to do Bedrock Anthem). Think I'm dreamin' now. Too many sugary drinks.

iGuide - yech!

 

[Thex1138]

iFind...

iThought that iSlate be the hardware and iGuide be the software...

 

[ELScorcho9]

I still prefer iSlate . . .

I mean, what's in a name? As long as this thing kicks ass, the name will automatically become popular. iPod isn't exactly the most elegant of names, but that's become an everyday word. iSlate gets my vote.