During a talk at the University of Arizona’s Department of Marketing former Apple advertising lead Ken Segall shared some alternative titles to the iPhone – Telepod, Mobi, Tripod and iPad.
9to5Mac’s Scott Buscemi has uncovered some interesting details about the naming idealogies…
“Telepod:” According to Segall, Apple considered calling the device “Telepod” because it sounded like a futuristic twist to the word “telephone.” The “pod” part of the name also makes sense in context of Apple’s then-extraordinarily-popular iPod line of music players. Perhaps this name would have made more sense if Tony Fadell’s “iPod-phone” project beat out Scott Forstall’s OSX/iOS work.
“Mobi“: According to Segall, this potential name is a play on the word “mobile.” The shortened version of “Mobile” seems to be a creative name with a personality, according to Segall.
“Tripod:” While this name did not win out, it did make a big impact on Apple’s original presentation and marketing for the iPhone. “Tripod” stems from the iPhone being a combination phone + iPod + internet communications device. Indeed, Apple heavily marketed the original iPhone as such. As we know today, with the App Store and other new Apple apps, the iPhone platform is so much more than just a phone, internet communicator, and media player.
“iPad:” While the iPad ended up being the name for Apple’s tablet computer, that name was also under consideration for the smartphone. As the iPhone has much of the same functionality as the iPad that we know today, that name may have been sensible. This name also makes sense in terms of Apple’s iOS device development process: Steve Jobs previously revealed that Apple worked on the tablet before the phone, but ended up prioritizing the iPhone in its long-term product roadmap.
Despite the legal hurdles the name iPhone stands and clearly it is better than their other options.