# What does the "i" stand for?



## apple4life (May 6, 2006)

Does anyone know for sure what the lower case "i" stands for in iMac, iPod, iBook, iLife, iWork? I've always wondered that... There are a lot of theories flowing around, but I want to know for sure!


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## thegreenapple (Jan 3, 2006)

i = me 
well me, mine, my and anyothers


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## rollee (Feb 26, 2003)

'i = internet' steve jobs


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

apple4life said:


> Does anyone know for sure what the lower case "i" stands for in iMac, iPod, iBook, iLife, iWork? I've always wondered that... There are a lot of theories flowing around, but I want to know for sure!


You know the saying, "If we told you, we'd have to kill you?" Well that doesn't apply here.

Some will guess "internet," but really if Apple ever fixed on a meaning, a dozen focus groups would suggest otherwise. "i" works as a short form for a reason: it means whatever it means, generally.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

The first "i" product, was the iMac. I think at the time, Steve Jobs made reference to the "i" being for internet, as also stated on Wikipedia. 

From then on, they started to name applications that came with the iMac and later iBook with the "i", and then "i's" just started popping up everywhere.


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## apple4life (May 6, 2006)

HowEver said:


> You know the saying, "If we told you, we'd have to kill you?" Well that doesn't apply here.
> 
> Some will guess "internet," but really if Apple ever fixed on a meaning, a dozen focus groups would suggest otherwise. "i" works as a short form for a reason: it means whatever it means, generally.


hahahahaha


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## apple4life (May 6, 2006)

rollee said:


> 'i = internet' steve jobs


So then i[nternet]Pod? I heard that it stands for innovation... but no one knows for sure


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## thegreenapple (Jan 3, 2006)

well we could have asked steve that last friday whe we asked him about the MBP


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## apple4life (May 6, 2006)

thegreenapple said:


> well we could have asked steve that last friday whe we asked him about the MBP


Did he reply to the question about MBP?


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

As others said, it started out meaning "internet", just likee the "e" in 'eMac" originally stood for 'education" because that comp was originally sold to education customers ONLY.

With the proliferation of "i"s all over da damned place, I take the "i" to mean "I", as in "me". Even Apple themselves blurred the meaning of "i" when they used the advertising slogan at MacWorld:




















buy it here


BTW, check out the GUSHING SWITCHERS in the viewer comments of this page


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## Trose (Feb 17, 2005)

I think it should have been 'a' instead of 'i'.

Get aLife.
I made a movie with aMovie.
What's that? It's aPod.
I've got a Mac. Which Mac? aMac.
Countless possibilities.

Really, I think they just thought it sounded good.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

That was an itypical response.




Trose said:


> I think it should have been 'a' instead of 'i'.
> 
> Get aLife.
> I made a movie with aMovie.
> ...


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Trose said:


> I think it should have been 'a' instead of 'i'.
> 
> Get aLife.
> I made a movie with aMovie.
> ...


I'd be filing a lawsuit on Apple. Would be too close sounding to "eh"Mac.


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

ehMax said:


> I'd be filing a lawsuit on Apple. Would be too close sounding to "eh"Mac.


hah!


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Trose said:


> I think it should have been 'a' instead of 'i'.
> 
> Get aLife.
> I made a movie with aMovie.
> ...


I think the "A" angle sounds a liiiittle too literal. And "i" makes it more personal.


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## Deep Blue (Sep 16, 2005)

*I=ME (but Not MC2)*

Actually, it's "I" as in Idiotproof.


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## billwong (Jan 6, 2002)

I thought the "i" referred to Jonathan Ive, the designer of the "iProducts".

http://www.designmuseum.org/design/index.php?id=63

Bill


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## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

I got very annoyed when I saw the the "iReward" card make an introduction at Chapters <- very expensive store by the way

I have to BUY the card for $20 to save 20% on a book...  or highly priced DVDs/CDs
Can't be used on any other discounted promotion.

Alright... what does the "i" stand for? Can I use it on the Chapters.ca website?
No, you can only use the silly thing in a brick and mortar store..

In Chapter's case, I think it stands for "incomprehensible".


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## kent (Oct 18, 2003)

Deep Blue said:


> Actually, it's "I" as in Idiotproof.


Totally ... note the pro apps and computers are infinitely more powerful and complicated than the "i" lines [iMacs, iLife, iBook etc] ... the pro machines and apps [really just the pro apps] are definitely NOT idiotproof. Compare FCP to iMovie - nuff said.


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## csonni (Feb 8, 2001)

I figured the "i" represented the personal aspect of Apple's computer (although, does that mean that the Powermacs and G5's aren't personal?). Everything is becoming so much more user-configurable. Maybe this is what some take the "i" as meaning.


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## mgl (Feb 14, 2004)

We're getting off topic, but you can use your iRewards card on the Chapters site. I'm not sure why you think it's restricted to the bricks and mortar stores. You enter it in your account profile and it will be applied to all of the appropriate merchandise automatically.


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## nbr10 (Jan 20, 2004)

I thought the "i" was a reference to Steve Jobs being the iCEO when he returned to the Company after his uh... layoff


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## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

mgl said:


> We're getting off topic, but you can use your iRewards card on the Chapters site. I'm not sure why you think it's restricted to the bricks and mortar stores. You enter it in your account profile and it will be applied to all of the appropriate merchandise automatically.


You are right, but it was not available online for the longest time.... come to think of it, I suppose the "i" could have stood for the parent company, Indigo.

On the Mac side, I had thought the "i" would represent some sort of innovative/internet hybrid term.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

jicon said:


> On the Mac side, I had thought the "i" would represent some sort of innovative/internet hybrid term.


Well, their products cover the "innovative" part


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## bishopandarlo (Mar 22, 2006)

Here's another explanation of "i"

http://www.applematters.com/index.p...surface-of-something-starting-with-capital-i/


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