Was out trolling and came across this gem from Wired on how the iPod got its name. I've paraphrased their write up to reduce the word count a bit (gee, do you think they get paid by the word?), but have reproduced the quotes:
Vinnie Chieco, a freelance San Francisco copywriter, was recruited to be part of the team tasked with figuring out how to introduce the iPod to the public.
Because Jobs had settled on the player's descriptive tag line—"1,000 songs in your pocket"—the product name was freed from having to be descriptive (no need to reference music or songs). Further, Jobs continually referenced Apple's digital hub strategy with the Mac at the core.
Thereupon, Chieco figured the ultimate hub would be a spaceship (ie you could leave the spaceship in a smaller vessel, a pod, but you'd have to return to the mother ship to refuel and get food). Then Chieco was shown a prototype iPod, with its stark white plastic front.
"As soon as I saw the white iPod, I thought 2001," said Chieco. "Open the pod bay door, Hal!"
Then it was just a matter of adding the "i" prefix, as in "iMac."
Brilliant example of intelligent, focussed minds working together to create greatness.
I never really liked the name. And the iThing is really getting tired. I think the iPod succeeded in spite of its name.
Posted by Guest Poster #1 on 11/14/08 4:10 PM
"it's" means "it is".
"how the iPod got it's name" reads "how the iPod got it is name". That doesn't make sense.
"its" is the possessive form of "it".
It should be "how the iPod got its name."
grammar Posted by Guest Poster #2 on 11/14/08 9:34 PM
it doesn't say "it's" anywhere you dope, just "its"
Posted by Guest Poster #3 on 11/15/08 6:30 AM
Another little piece of cool Apple lore.
Posted by Guest Poster #4 on 11/15/08 10:17 AM
It says its now, thanks to the change editor made after the dope pointed out the dopey mistake.
Posted by Guest Poster #5 on 11/15/08 11:21 AM
iPod was a name already in use on the Apple campus for a kiosk system which was in development. The name was ripped from that project.
Too bad it just isn't true Posted by Guest Poster #6 on 11/15/08 1:19 PM
Yes, the word iPod had already been registered by Apple as a trademark, but the team working on the music player that would become the iPod wasn't aware of that fact until they themselves tried to register the name.
Posted by Guest Poster #7 on 11/15/08 1:53 PM
ipOd got its name from portable audio.
P=portable + 'aud' audio. pod
ipOd Posted by Guest Poster #8 on 12/21/08 12:29 AM
QUESTION: Who really came up with the Name i Pod?
ANSWER: Its Australian and it was 5 years before apple thought of it.
Futurologist Hugh C Gray JP was the CEO of a business called” I Pod”
In Queensland Australia where the business name was first registered.
On July 24, 2000, Apple registered the i Pod name for "a public internet kiosk enclosure containing computer equipment,"
However the article below may indeed shed some light as to the true history of the naming "i Pod and in fact it would seem that this was also the first use of the letter”i" as in the i Pod first registered by futurologist and CEO of the i Pod business Hugh Gray JP in Brisbane Australia, Was in fact the first use of the letter "i" in a product, Which would even predate the "i Mac"
.Although some sites on the net do acknowledge this fact,
What most people and the Media do not know is that Apple had their Australian Lawyers investigate this claim and report back to Apple head office,
And they admit that the Australian Claim of Hugh Gray to be the first to come up with the name i Pod and use the name commercially is true.
Apple Computers have still not acknowledged this on their website. Where they still push the “Vinnie Chieco” story or their July 24, 2000 registration of the name in USA As being first use.
Even though they now have proof positive that it was registered in Brisbane Australia over 5 years earlier.
Check out the details and the time line on this site. and you will realize that the above statement is the earliest use of the letter i and the full name i pod
how the i pod got it name, This is the truth and apple did not pay one cent Posted by Guest Poster #9 on 02/11/09 1:04 AM
There is a website called . You might find some more information there.
Vinnie Chieco Posted by Guest Poster #10 on 03/11/09 3:35 PM
the pod in i pod came when Hugh gray the original inventor of the name and the builder of the original iPod said he came up with the pod part as a pod as in a seed pod a seed of ideas, and this is again fact and can be checked by direct contact t with the original inventor Hugh.gray@bigpond.com
I-Pod the very first one called ipod Posted by Guest Poster #13 on 07/02/09 7:07 AM
The name ipod stands for internet pod. It was from a company called Web Pod. The ipod was an internet kiosk put in shopping malls, where one could put in money and access email, take a photo or video of themselves, and email it to friends. The designer approached Apple with it to see if Apple was interested in it. Apple would provide the computers. Apple said they were not interested. Then Apple started to put up large bill boards with the name ipod all over the place. Then after a time they introduced the device they now call ipod. Apple sued the little guy, knowing he couldn't stand a chance. and ended up paying him $5,000 to go away. That is the truth. Apple made millions and the little guy made $5,000 only because he couldn't afford the lawyers. That's how Apple got the name ipod.
how ipod got it's name Posted by Guest Poster #14 on 10/24/09 10:12 AM
sorry the web pod was never in the picture
The facts do check out that Hugh Gray form Brisbane Australia was the first to use the name i-Pod and yess it is tue that Apple made Milliions and Mr Hugh Gray got nothing Apple are not a very nice lot of people to deal with Like most big business they dont care about the little people the design geniuses or like mr gray a futureologist. Perhaps mr jobs will feel guilty before goes to meet his maker. Ha fat chance eh?
The i Pod name Posted by Guest Poster #15 on 12/06/09 8:05 AM
Sorry you're wrong, because I know personally the person who received $5,ooo from Apple, who was the one who sued him, to go away. How Mr Huge Gray got the name, I don't know, you can ask him. but...Bottom line, Apple did NOT invent the name. and yes, I agree.. What goes around, comes around, maybe not in this life time, but it comes around eventually.
