cool-story-bro: the "kleenex" issue

[Sydde]

Anyone have experiences like this?

Our train was quite late, and the couple across the aisle were worried about being able to find a room. So I yelped hotels at our destination and let them read some phone numbers off the mini. They said the were having trouble getting her iPad to work. Later, I took the opportunity to help them with that. Turned out it was a wifi model, so I set up her iPhone for a hotspot and linked the two together. Curiously, as I picked it up to see why it would not connect, I notice across one edge of the iPad, "Galaxy" in silver letters.

Is the word fully generic yet?

 

[cynics]

Occasionally with non techie people I'll see or hear that. I'll politely correct them if it's appropriate.

 

[cruisin]

There was a funny moment when Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers and forced everyone to use Surface tablets and stop using iPads. Except everyone was still referring to everything as iPads.

I think it is a combination of one device/object becoming popular causing everyone to remember the brand name not the generic name and the popular device/object having a simple yet memorable name. So iPad wins over Samsung tablet. Plus Samsung has a few different models of everything and Apple just has the one model that comes with different configurations.

I think as long as Apple sues every company that tries to use iPad as a generic term (thus legally showing that they are defending the trademark) then it is not generic. They probably get a huge kick out of everyone using iPad to mean tablet though.

 

[fieldsphotos]

... They probably get a huge kick out of everyone using iPad to mean tablet though.

I disagree - I'll bet they hate that the word "iPad" might become the generic term for tablets. Because then people go into Best Buy to buy an "iPad" and walk out with a Samsung thinking its all the same. No brand loyalty that way.

Just like I now go to the grocery store to buy "Kleenex" and I actually buy Puffs or the store brand cause it doesn't matter to me.