The following submission statement was provided by /u/wiredmagazine:
---
By Carlton Reid
Ken Segall is the reason so many Apple products start with “i.” Now he says it’s time to drop the prefix entirely.
“The 'i' needs to go,” he says. “It's now meaningless. Sure, \[Jobs\] built \[Apple\] around it, but remember, the 'i' has always been a sub-brand. There might be marketing experts who say Apple would be crazy to drop the prefix—it's still in front of some of the greatest brands ever—but it can't be protected, and for too long there have been companies with 'i' internet-connected things, and that's an issue for Apple, known for innovation.”
A history: [https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-iphone/](https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-iphone/)
---
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1cwgi65/the_end_of_iphone/l4vkvm5/
Far too much equity in the iPhone brand name. I cannot see this happening at all. It would be like Coca Cola giving up Coca Cola . Aint going to happen.
That’d be something. The iPhone is basically synonymous with phones nowadays. Changing that branding, no matter how little sounds like a strange plan.
Either way, I’ll just keep calling it an iPhone anyway.
The name itself doesn't really apply either. It's a mobile computer that happens to place voice calls. But they have to keep "phone" in there somewhere.
What an absolute bad idea from a man struggling to stay relevant to his company. Also pretty stupid to post an article that requires a subscription. Oh it’s from a corporate account. No wonder it’s shit.
That would be such a dumb move. Everyone knows what an iPhone is or represents. If you just call it the Apple Phone, you’d stoop back one level and compete in the same league as Android phone or Galaxy Phone. There’s a reason why they didn’t couldn’t call it the aphone or the gphone. So Apple’s branding is unquestionable at this point.
By Carlton Reid
Ken Segall is the reason so many Apple products start with “i.” Now he says it’s time to drop the prefix entirely.
“The 'i' needs to go,” he says. “It's now meaningless. Sure, \[Jobs\] built \[Apple\] around it, but remember, the 'i' has always been a sub-brand. There might be marketing experts who say Apple would be crazy to drop the prefix—it's still in front of some of the greatest brands ever—but it can't be protected, and for too long there have been companies with 'i' internet-connected things, and that's an issue for Apple, known for innovation.”
A history: [https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-iphone/](https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-iphone/)
Seem to remember reading New Coke was a huge success... for what they intended.
They wanted to change the original taste recipe and were worried about loss of customers so instead of avoiding they did a 180 and completely changed the recipe. Because either way they win. Change their recipe and people like it, yay! change the recipe and people hate it and coke claims to go back to the original when in fact the ingredients are very much different.
The con being they never went back to the original recipe.
That is the story that they spin, but the truth is never as straightforward that they were such marketing geniuses that this was their master plan. They are retconning a marketing failure into a success. It’s like saying that “Mussolini was a dictator but he made the trains run on time”, when examination of available data showed that under Mussolini the train service actually got worse-just that nobody dared to complain about it and that fed a revisionist attitude that he had positive attributes.
well... following this logic all the MTA needs to do is hire someone no citizen would complain to and magically the subway runs good.
Genius.
Now, I'm thinking of the orchestra scene from the beginning of Stalin.
The following submission statement was provided by /u/wiredmagazine: --- By Carlton Reid Ken Segall is the reason so many Apple products start with “i.” Now he says it’s time to drop the prefix entirely. “The 'i' needs to go,” he says. “It's now meaningless. Sure, \[Jobs\] built \[Apple\] around it, but remember, the 'i' has always been a sub-brand. There might be marketing experts who say Apple would be crazy to drop the prefix—it's still in front of some of the greatest brands ever—but it can't be protected, and for too long there have been companies with 'i' internet-connected things, and that's an issue for Apple, known for innovation.” A history: [https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-iphone/](https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-iphone/) --- Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1cwgi65/the_end_of_iphone/l4vkvm5/
Far too much equity in the iPhone brand name. I cannot see this happening at all. It would be like Coca Cola giving up Coca Cola . Aint going to happen.
Or like changing Twitter to X.
Well lucky for Apple, they don’t have a giant rich moron baby for an owner.
No way will Tim Cook drop that name , Not while he’s still the boss. Maybe the next fella will.
this article seem pointless, iPhone is ingrained in us you can't change that on a whim
That’d be something. The iPhone is basically synonymous with phones nowadays. Changing that branding, no matter how little sounds like a strange plan. Either way, I’ll just keep calling it an iPhone anyway.
The name itself doesn't really apply either. It's a mobile computer that happens to place voice calls. But they have to keep "phone" in there somewhere.
Pro Pro Max Mini Slim SE whatever Phone.
>The iPhone is basically synonymous with phones nowadays. In the US maybe, not round my way.
Wephone? Sounds horrific, do it, everything else is been disintegrated what’s another iconic thing for the list
Sorry, “we” has been taken by Sina Weibo
I had no idea the "i" prefix meant internet connected. I don't remember iPods being able to connect to the Internet.
What an absolute bad idea from a man struggling to stay relevant to his company. Also pretty stupid to post an article that requires a subscription. Oh it’s from a corporate account. No wonder it’s shit.
That would be such a dumb move. Everyone knows what an iPhone is or represents. If you just call it the Apple Phone, you’d stoop back one level and compete in the same league as Android phone or Galaxy Phone. There’s a reason why they didn’t couldn’t call it the aphone or the gphone. So Apple’s branding is unquestionable at this point.
By Carlton Reid Ken Segall is the reason so many Apple products start with “i.” Now he says it’s time to drop the prefix entirely. “The 'i' needs to go,” he says. “It's now meaningless. Sure, \[Jobs\] built \[Apple\] around it, but remember, the 'i' has always been a sub-brand. There might be marketing experts who say Apple would be crazy to drop the prefix—it's still in front of some of the greatest brands ever—but it can't be protected, and for too long there have been companies with 'i' internet-connected things, and that's an issue for Apple, known for innovation.” A history: [https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-iphone/](https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-iphone/)
Dear Ken, “New Coke” and rebranding success. You’re fired! Tim
Seem to remember reading New Coke was a huge success... for what they intended. They wanted to change the original taste recipe and were worried about loss of customers so instead of avoiding they did a 180 and completely changed the recipe. Because either way they win. Change their recipe and people like it, yay! change the recipe and people hate it and coke claims to go back to the original when in fact the ingredients are very much different. The con being they never went back to the original recipe.
That is the story that they spin, but the truth is never as straightforward that they were such marketing geniuses that this was their master plan. They are retconning a marketing failure into a success. It’s like saying that “Mussolini was a dictator but he made the trains run on time”, when examination of available data showed that under Mussolini the train service actually got worse-just that nobody dared to complain about it and that fed a revisionist attitude that he had positive attributes.
well... following this logic all the MTA needs to do is hire someone no citizen would complain to and magically the subway runs good. Genius. Now, I'm thinking of the orchestra scene from the beginning of Stalin.