What does IPOD (apple) stand for and why?

[marmasatt]

Hey, help me settle a bet here fellow AT'ers.

A guy at my work states that IPOD (the apple acronym) stands for Internet Portable Open Database.

I disagreed. I just didn't think it sounded right. Now as far as the bet goes...I don't even have to have it right, I just need to have him wrong

Does anyone know for certain, and if so show/tell me why? I've already done a bit of research (including mac forums and what not) that indicate he is right. But I've found others (including loosely quoting Steve Jobs, etc) where others state it's got something to do with "Interpersonal" or the "I" is I as in "me"....

A friend of mine actually called Apple where they gave us the same thing, but they were hesitant and actually had to go ask someone because they weren't sure.

Did I just lose a case of beer?

Let me know. Thanks.

 

[Eug]

"iPod" doesn't stand for anything.

http://www.brighternaming.com/critic_ipod.html
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/m...ultofmac/2006/10/71956

The iPod name was offered up by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter who lives in San Francisco. Chieco was recruited by Apple to be part of a small team tasked with helping figure out how to introduce the new player to the general public, not just computer geeks.

During the process, Jobs had settled on the player's descriptive tag line -- "1,000 songs in your pocket" -- so the name was freed up from having to be descriptive. It didn't have to reference music or songs.

While describing the player, Jobs constantly referred to Apple's digital hub strategy: The Mac is a hub, or central connection point, for a host of gadgets. This prompted Chieco to start thinking about hubs: objects that other things connect to.

The ultimate hub, Chieco figured, would be a spaceship. 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 do
or, Hal!"

Then it was just a matter of adding the "i" prefix, as in "iMac."

 

[QED]

You didn't try Wikipedia?

The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public. After Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase "Open the pod bay door, Hal!", which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship.[5] Apple researched the trademark and found that it was already in use. Joseph N. Grasso of New Jersey had originally listed an "iPod" trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in July 2000 for Internet kiosks. The first iPod kiosks had been demonstrated to the public in New Jersey in March 1998, and commercial use began in January 2000, but had apparently been discontinued by 2001. The trademark was registered by the USPTO in November 2003, and Grasso assigned it to Apple Computer, Inc. in 2005.[7]

EDIT: Oh... I've been scooped by Eug...

 

[IEC]

Idiots Prefer Only Design [and not functionality/durability].

 

[marmasatt]

Yeah, I actually went there (wiki). But alot of forums corroborate by bosses' assertion

Here's one but I had a few better ones earlier.

And as I said, my friend called the freakin' "my IPOD" customer service and that's what they said......

 

[Perknose]

Intense Penile Orgasm Deliverer. <------ However, this acronym came about early in its development, before it was decided to abandon both the bluetooth micro sub-woofer and it's velcro-based, 'molded to your crotch&trade;' carrying case.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: Spartan Niner
Idiots Prefer Only Design [and not functionality/durability].

iPod beats everything for real world functionality IMO

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: Spartan Niner
Idiots Prefer Only Design [and not functionality/durability].

iPod beats everything for real world functionality IMO

Well maybe not but it's definitely the best balance for functionality + portability. I mean everyone worshiped the Zen but that thing is a brick. I remember my 4G iPod compared to that thing and the Dell DJ. No comparison. Now my iPod Touch. Seriously. NO COMPARISON. You can't beat the click wheel.

 

[randay]

jobs came up with it when he was explaining his marketing strategy to his friends.

"I'll poop out devices that suck ass and idiots will buy them because theyll be recockulously overpriced and therefore people will automatically think they are good.

 

[marmasatt]

Man, this thread turned into a joke quickly. So did I lose?

"The name 'iPod' makes much more sense for an internet kiosk, which is a pod for a human, than a music player," said Foden.

"They discovered in their tool chest of registered names they had 'iPod,'" he added. "If you think about the product, it doesn't really fit. But it doesn't matter. It's short and sweet."

Foden said the name is a stroke of genius: It is simple, memorable and, crucially, it doesn't describe the device, so it can still be used as the technology evolves, even if the device's function changes. He noted the "i" prefix has a double meaning: It can mean "internet," as in "iMac," or it can denote the first person: "I," as in me.

So according to this it doesn't *stand* for anything?

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: marmasatt

Man, this thread turned into a joke quickly. So did I lose?

Did you read any of the responses?

 

[marmasatt]

Yes, did you? I honestly thought I lost when we called apple. So you call it a push?

Or you'd say I won?

 

[blert]

Originally posted by: randay
jobs came up with it when he was explaining his marketing strategy to his friends.

"I'll poop out devices that suck ass and idiots will buy them because theyll be recockulously overpriced and therefore people will automatically think they are good.

:thumbsup:

Seriously, that made me LOL so hard coffee shot out my nose....

 

[Jessica69]

What I think...when you, or whoever, called Apple, the CSRs figured they had a live one and just had to mess with you.

Second, quit capitalizing the "i" in iPod.....the "i" is always lower case on all Apple products.....iPod, iMac, iPhone......get the picture? Therefore, the "i" isn't for "Internet" or any other silly word....it's just an "i" and in the Jobs' world, probably refers to something as mundane as "me".....

 

[LuckyTaxi]

wikipedia is the sh!t

 

[ViRGE]

If you say it doesn't stand for anything, then you won. Otherwise you lost a case of beer, although to whom I'm not sure.

 

[Josh]

Originally posted by: randay
jobs came up with it when he was explaining his marketing strategy to his friends.

"I'll poop out devices that suck ass and idiots will buy them because theyll be recockulously overpriced and therefore people will automatically think they are good.

:roll: Overpriced maybe (but not really as the demand is so high), suck - not even close. No other device comes with the ease of use and simplicity of the iPod. You are just a mac hater. You mean to tell me that if these devices sucked so much ass pretty much every hardware review site on the internet is wrong and almost every person in the United States & World is also an idiot and for some reason YOU have figured it out. YOU are the genius who realized the iPod sucked.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Josh

Originally posted by: randay
jobs came up with it when he was explaining his marketing strategy to his friends.

"I'll poop out devices that suck ass and idiots will buy them because theyll be recockulously overpriced and therefore people will automatically think they are good.

:roll: Overpriced maybe (but not really as the demand is so high), suck - not even close. No other device comes with the ease of use and simplicity of the iPod. You are just a mac hater. You mean to tell me that if these devices sucked so much ass pretty much every hardware review site on the internet is wrong and almost every person in the United States & World is also an idiot and for some reason YOU have figured it out. YOU are the genius who realized the iPod sucked.

thats pretty much true

the average sheep idiot does not read reviews at all, the vast majority of ipod owners fall into that catagorie, hell many dont even realize there are other mp3 players that arnt ipods


iriver, iaudio, creative and the fucking Zune are all better then any of apples offerings

 

[TwiceOver]

The only word in "Internet Portable Open Database" that even pertains to the iPod is "Portable".

 

[Josh]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Josh

Originally posted by: randay
jobs came up with it when he was explaining his marketing strategy to his friends.

"I'll poop out devices that suck ass and idiots will buy them because theyll be recockulously overpriced and therefore people will automatically think they are good.

:roll: Overpriced maybe (but not really as the demand is so high), suck - not even close. No other device comes with the ease of use and simplicity of the iPod. You are just a mac hater. You mean to tell me that if these devices sucked so much ass pretty much every hardware review site on the internet is wrong and almost every person in the United States & World is also an idiot and for some reason YOU have figured it out. YOU are the genius who realized the iPod sucked.

thats pretty much true

the average sheep idiot does not read reviews at all, the vast majority of ipod owners fall into that catagorie, hell many dont even realize there are other mp3 players that arnt ipods


iriver, iaudio, creative and the fucking Zune are all better then any of apples offerings

In YOUR opinion.

 

[insect9]

Open? HAHAHAha. Ask your friend how, exactly, and iPod is open. I'd like to know.

 

[JujuFish]

Originally posted by: Josh

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Josh

Originally posted by: randay
jobs came up with it when he was explaining his marketing strategy to his friends.

"I'll poop out devices that suck ass and idiots will buy them because theyll be recockulously overpriced and therefore people will automatically think they are good.

:roll: Overpriced maybe (but not really as the demand is so high), suck - not even close. No other device comes with the ease of use and simplicity of the iPod. You are just a mac hater. You mean to tell me that if these devices sucked so much ass pretty much every hardware review site on the internet is wrong and almost every person in the United States & World is also an idiot and for some reason YOU have figured it out. YOU are the genius who realized the iPod sucked.

thats pretty much true

the average sheep idiot does not read reviews at all, the vast majority of ipod owners fall into that catagorie, hell many dont even realize there are other mp3 players that arnt ipods


iriver, iaudio, creative and the fucking Zune are all better then any of apples offerings

In YOUR opinion.

While I can't comment on most of those, if the Zen Vision: M came in larger amounts, I'd still be using one of those now instead of an iPod.

Edit: By "larger amounts", I meant larger HDD.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: DLeRium

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: Spartan Niner
Idiots Prefer Only Design [and not functionality/durability].

iPod beats everything for real world functionality IMO

Well maybe not but it's definitely the best balance for functionality + portability. I mean everyone worshiped the Zen but that thing is a brick. I remember my 4G iPod compared to that thing and the Dell DJ. No comparison. Now my iPod Touch. Seriously. NO COMPARISON. You can't beat the click wheel.

In my experience, the click wheel sucks with a large collection. I like the Zen's scroller better. The button in the center of the click wheel is also too small.

 

[EKKC]

I Peed On Dick

 

[torpid]

Leave it to the ATOT evangelical trolls to turn a mundane discussion like this into another iPod flame war.