Anyone Else Notice the Poor Grammar in Apple Writing/Ads for Their iDevices?

[duneriderltr450]

You, sir, need an English lesson:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/your
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/my

Words like "my" and "your" are called adjectives.

.

 

[SomeDudeAsking]

To look at this in Star Trek terms (because why wouldn't you?) I would say this is most analogous to the difference between the USS Enterprise and the USS Voyager.

The Enterprise was treated as a common noun while Voyager got proper noun status. For example, this is how you'd talk in an episode of the show:

"Tomorrow the Enterprise will transfer 25 officers to Voyager."

But you would NOT say:

"Tomorrow Enterprise will transfer 25 officers to the Voyager."

Why the difference? Well, it just sounds better. Is one of these wrong? No, they're both ok, it's just we're used to it one way. But if the writers wanted to switch it around, you could still say that they're right.

So Apple has decided Macs are common nouns and iOS devices are proper nouns. Just like with Star Trek writers it's their right to do that. It's not wrong. (Or do you argue that saying "Let's get back to Voyager" is incorrect?)

You're right that you found a mistake in the iPad section, but one mistake is hardly worth starting a whole thread over.

I reject your notion that iOS devices can't be proper nouns. Voyager was, so why not iPhone?

This makes more sense than what other's here have been posting. For somethings you should use adjectives and for some things it may not be necessary. I stand by my assertion that it is necessary for the iPhone because it is awkward to write "Clean iPhone with a soft cloth" instead of "Clean your iPhone with a soft cloth" or "Clean the iPhone with a soft cloth".

 

[BHP41]

You, sir, need an English lesson:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/your
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/my

Words like "my" and "your" are called adjectives.

You sir, need a new hobby. I find it humorous that you see fit to spend your existence on a site that is dedicated to something you hate. I also sent you a PM trying to understand your reason for which you have so much disgust for Apple and what you've seen as a better alternative. Yet you haven't replied to my invitation.

Your collection of Apple products, from your words, is now "collecting dust". Why are you still here posting useless info and starting useless threads?

 

[vastoholic]

Agreed. The only thing he posts here are blatant hate/negative threads to get a rise out of the rest of us. It's obvious he has a dislike for iPhones and possibly Apple products in general. He is the epitome of a hater. Spending his time bashing what he doesn't like dnd those who don't agree with him on a forum dedicated for products he hates.

 

[sandwicher]

Someone has too much time on their hands. If you hate apple so much, stop using the products and gtfo.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

You, sir, need an English lesson:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/your
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/my

Words like "my" and "your" are called adjectives.

I assumed you were referring to "the." My bad.

 

[TrimmTrabb]

Doesn't anyone at Apple grammar check?

Probably more so than at any other company. Apple's marketing language with iOS devices is very deliberate. But you're over-thinking this. It's not about what's grammatically correct, it's about what Apple believes sounds right.

The marketing site most always refers to iPhone, iPad, and iPod the way I'm doing now. As others said, it's to personify them. I find it endearing, and I think that's the intent.

As you said, things are inconsistent, because it's more about what sounds right than religiously following convention. Sometimes it feels better in context to clarify ownership, e.g., "Sent from my iPhone."

If it were about consistency and following the rules, you wouldn't see big headings with a full stop on the end, even though they're not complete sentences. You also wouldn't have iPod touch with a lowercase 't', Mac mini with a lowercase 'm', but MacBook Air with an uppercase 'A'. It's just the way it is because it felt right to Apple.

 

[jon3543]

So I'm browsing the Apple website from a link in another thread on here. I'm looking at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3226 where it is talking about how to clean Apple products.

If we look at the section for the iPhones:



Now, if we compare that to the section for the iPads:



And then also look at the section for iMacs:



Notice that Apple butchers the grammar in the section for the iDevices where it inconsistently references iPhone without a "the" or "your" before it. In the iMac section, a reference to an iMac is preceded by "your" and is grammatically correct.

For example, from above, the iPhone section uses "Clean iPhone immediately if it comes into contact" when it should actually say "Clean your iPhone immediately if it comes into contact". And also, where it says "To clean iPhone, unplug all cables", it should actually say "To clean your iPhone, unplug all cables".

The iPad section is mixed. In the first sentence, it correctly uses "Handle your iPad with care" but then in the next sentence it incorrectly goes "To clean iPad, unplug all cables" when it should say "To clean your iPad, unplug all cables". There are numerous mistakes like this throughout Apple's website.

This butchering of grammar also happens in Apple ads, such as at the main page for the iPhone at http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/. Every time I hear or see something from Apple that forget adjectives, it drives me crazy because it is so obvious that they don't use correct English. It makes me think their writers are not literate. It is not "The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone." That is so plain grammatically incorrect, you would have failed English school. It should actually say "The biggest thing to happen to the iPhone since the iPhone."

Doesn't anyone at Apple grammar check?

Your iPhone is bent 57 degrees on the Apple crankometer. That's a lot!

 

[syd430]

Haha why is anyone taking this guy seriously? Just read some of his other posts.

 

[hollowplayer]

Go do something thats meaningful. The thread is retarded

 

[BHP41]

I also love how he votes on his own post. It's pathetic to the point that's it funny.

 

[John T]

For examples of bad grammar, spelling etc, threads on this forum are a good starting place

 

[BHP41]

For examples of bad grammar, spelling etc, threads on this forum are a good starting place

Like the title to this one huh.

 

[chambone]

Leave the OP alone guys. His life is miserable enough as it is, without y'all getting on his case.

 

[virginblue4]

So I'm browsing the Apple website from a link in another thread on here. I'm looking at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3226 where it is talking about how to clean Apple products.

If we look at the section for the iPhones:



Now, if we compare that to the section for the iPads:



And then also look at the section for iMacs:



Notice that Apple butchers the grammar in the section for the iDevices where it inconsistently references iPhone without a "the" or "your" before it. In the iMac section, a reference to an iMac is preceded by "your" and is grammatically correct.

For example, from above, the iPhone section uses "Clean iPhone immediately if it comes into contact" when it should actually say "Clean your iPhone immediately if it comes into contact". And also, where it says "To clean iPhone, unplug all cables", it should actually say "To clean your iPhone, unplug all cables".

The iPad section is mixed. In the first sentence, it correctly uses "Handle your iPad with care" but then in the next sentence it incorrectly goes "To clean iPad, unplug all cables" when it should say "To clean your iPad, unplug all cables". There are numerous mistakes like this throughout Apple's website.

This butchering of grammar also happens in Apple ads, such as at the main page for the iPhone at http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/. Every time I hear or see something from Apple that forget adjectives, it drives me crazy because it is so obvious that they don't use correct English. It makes me think their writers are not literate. It is not "The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone." That is so plain grammatically incorrect, you would have failed English school. It should actually say "The biggest thing to happen to the iPhone since the iPhone."

Doesn't anyone at Apple grammar check?

Look back through the keynotes. They also refer to them as 'iPhone' and 'iPad without 'the' in front of them. It's not incorrect grammar, it's how they choose to word it. I quite like it in all honesty.

 

[204353]

I thought it was well known that Apple refers to their products as proper nouns, as a way of personifying them and making them sound more personal.

It's definitely on purpose.

What does bother me a bit, however, is how their slogans and descriptions tend to be broken up by full-stops, rather than commas. For example: "It doesn't seem possible. That an iPhone with so much[...]" or "It's our thinnest display ever. And it's the first of its kind."

 

[sulpfiction]

This makes more sense than what other's here have been posting. For somethings you should use adjectives and for some things it may not be necessary. I stand by my assertion that it is necessary for the iPhone because it is awkward to write "Clean iPhone with a soft cloth" instead of "Clean your iPhone with a soft cloth" or "Clean the iPhone with a soft cloth".

Apple has always referred to products this way. SJ used this grammar in every keynote and it was deliberate. It may sound strange but this is marketing and not a mistake.

 

[lunaoso]

That's how they always talk about them in Keynotes. "This is the best thing to happen to iPhone, since iPhone." It's like saying, "I'm going to watch TV." Not, "I'm going to watch the TV."