iPhone, iPad, iPod—Most of Apple’s top products begin with an "i", and this naming pattern is consistent enough to raise the brows of many curious fans. What's with the "i" and what does it mean?

In this article, we’ll check out why Apple decided to add the "i" prefix to almost all of its product names.

Where Did the "i" Come From?

In 1998, Apple introduced its first "i" product, the iMac. The internet was only just exploding in popularity and starting to become the number one selling point of computers.

Apple capitalized on this trend by making the iMac connect to the internet quicker and easier than the competition. And that was the iMac’s greatest selling point. Along with its sleek and compact look, of course—at least, when compared with the other computers in the market at the time.

At the introduction of the iMac, Apple's co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, said the iMac was designed to help users take advantage of the countless possibilities the internet had to offer. Thus, "i" stood for internet, and Mac stood for Macintosh.

Related: The Evolution of iMac: From 1998 to 2021 and Beyond

But, as Jobs pointed out, that was far from the only meaning of the letter "i". During the presentation, he displayed a slide with several different meanings of the prefix.

They were:

  • Internet: For the reasons we’ve discussed above.
  • Individual: Because Apple wanted users to express themselves and exude personality with the iMac’s unique capabilities.
  • Instruct: To emphasize the product’s purpose as a learning tool in the classroom and beyond.
  • Inform: To highlight how much people could learn by taking advantage of the internet’s potential on the Macintosh.
  • Inspire: Because Apple intended for the iMac to inspire users to create amazing products and content.

The iBook and iMac were the first to use the letter "i". Steve Jobs wanted a professional consumer model of a desktop and portable computer, so these were produced. Since the iMac debuted in 1998, Apple has gone on to create a number of other consumer products named with the "i", including the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad.

Why Don't Some Apple Products Begin With "i"?

Many recent Apple products, such as the Apple TV and the Apple Watch, have adopted a new naming pattern, omitting the “i” entirely and instead opting for a generic name, sometimes accompanied by the Apple logo.

It is possible that these were so named because Apple wanted to avoid trademark wars, which typically result in lawsuits and settlements, especially because similar cases had happened before.

With the unveiling of the iPhone in 2007, Apple had a legal scuffle with Cisco Systems, as detailed on Wikipedia, because the company already had a product with the same name. Cisco and Apple eventually came to terms over the precious iPhone name, even though the price of the settlement was undisclosed.

From "i" to "Apple" to "Air"

Apple began to deviate from the path of the "i" in 2014, when current Apple CEO, Tim Cook, unveiled the company's first piece of wearable tech, the Apple Watch. Not long after that, Apple released the AirPods, followed by AirTags, and who knows what's next. Will Apple release an Apple Mac? An AirPhone? Or take on an entirely new prefix?