Thread
Time for new Marketing...?
Hey there.
For the most-part, I'm an Apple Life'r... I'll always use & own one (as far as I can tell). I'm not a full-blown zealot... I think they are a corporation just like any other and are in business to turn a profit, but their products really are that good (in my opinion).
Having said that... when the heck are they gonna drop the "i" off of new releases and move-on...?
We all know the origin of the "i" and the "e" was the internet boom of the mid-'90s to the turn of the century where the i was for internet and the e was for electronic. e-commerce; electronic-commerce... i-date for internet dating, etc.
Apple started-out by using the character(s) with the iMac... the first low-cost Mac specifically aimed at quick & easy internet access... hence the "i".
They have since dilluted the meaning of the pre-character by using it on a mix of hardware & software, inexpensive & expensive, internet based or not... Where are we today...?
iMac
iBook
iSight
iPod
eMac
iTunes
iSync
iPhoto
iMovie
iDVD
iLife
iCal
iDisk
iChat
Not to mention all the 3rd-party hardware & software that use the "i" prefix to help saturate the use.
Now there are impending rumors as to NEW products that are potential releases... there's something about iWrite and now another rumor about a video-based product called iBox.
What does the "i" mean anymore. At one point, it was for "internet" (iMac)... then it almost became a moniker for "consumer" (iMac, iBook, iMovie, iDVD)... then it just erased all meaning by being used on a full range of price-points on the iPod (not cheap or entry-level). Then you have iTunes... the "i" has really no use here... same with iSight (other than the pun).
Yet, the ONE major internet application Apple creates has no "i" prefix; Safari. Huh? Safari is ALL ABOUT the internet, yet no "i"...?
In my personal opinion... the whole late-'90s "i" & "e" thing has fully run it's course and I would hope that Apple would start to move-away with the "stigma" that lingers with those single characters.
I think they're better & smatter than that... but I think someone is locked in a leverage state of mind... they want to get the MOST out of this little letter i that they can.
Sure, it's easy for me to be an armchair Marketing Director... but I'm not sure how much more steam it has, how much relevance it has and how much it has tied into Apples Brand Identity. If you ask me (which you have not) I would say its time to move-on and drop the "i"... as cute as it may be.
Well... that's my 2� for the day.
Peace & happy new year.
For the most-part, I'm an Apple Life'r... I'll always use & own one (as far as I can tell). I'm not a full-blown zealot... I think they are a corporation just like any other and are in business to turn a profit, but their products really are that good (in my opinion).
Having said that... when the heck are they gonna drop the "i" off of new releases and move-on...?
We all know the origin of the "i" and the "e" was the internet boom of the mid-'90s to the turn of the century where the i was for internet and the e was for electronic. e-commerce; electronic-commerce... i-date for internet dating, etc.
Apple started-out by using the character(s) with the iMac... the first low-cost Mac specifically aimed at quick & easy internet access... hence the "i".
They have since dilluted the meaning of the pre-character by using it on a mix of hardware & software, inexpensive & expensive, internet based or not... Where are we today...?
iMac
iBook
iSight
iPod
eMac
iTunes
iSync
iPhoto
iMovie
iDVD
iLife
iCal
iDisk
iChat
Not to mention all the 3rd-party hardware & software that use the "i" prefix to help saturate the use.
Now there are impending rumors as to NEW products that are potential releases... there's something about iWrite and now another rumor about a video-based product called iBox.
What does the "i" mean anymore. At one point, it was for "internet" (iMac)... then it almost became a moniker for "consumer" (iMac, iBook, iMovie, iDVD)... then it just erased all meaning by being used on a full range of price-points on the iPod (not cheap or entry-level). Then you have iTunes... the "i" has really no use here... same with iSight (other than the pun).
Yet, the ONE major internet application Apple creates has no "i" prefix; Safari. Huh? Safari is ALL ABOUT the internet, yet no "i"...?
In my personal opinion... the whole late-'90s "i" & "e" thing has fully run it's course and I would hope that Apple would start to move-away with the "stigma" that lingers with those single characters.
I think they're better & smatter than that... but I think someone is locked in a leverage state of mind... they want to get the MOST out of this little letter i that they can.
Sure, it's easy for me to be an armchair Marketing Director... but I'm not sure how much more steam it has, how much relevance it has and how much it has tied into Apples Brand Identity. If you ask me (which you have not) I would say its time to move-on and drop the "i"... as cute as it may be.
Well... that's my 2� for the day.
Peace & happy new year.
i always thought the "i" stood for ignoramus or idiot
interesting theory of yours that it stands for "internet"
interesting theory of yours that it stands for "internet"
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Originally posted by Apple Pro Underwear: i always thought the "i" stood for ignoramus or idiot interesting theory of yours that it stands for "internet" |
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Originally posted by Apple Pro Underwear: i always thought the "i" stood for ignoramus or idiot interesting theory of yours that it stands for "internet" |
Please excuse my inability to understand, but I'd just like to clarify the direction of your sarcasm, since all inflection is lost in text...
Was the ignoramus & idiot referrence directed towards me... or towards Apple's marketing people... or towards entry-level consumers...?
I'm just trying to gague your position on this topic.
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Originally posted by LightWaver-67: Was the ignoramus & idiot referrence directed towards me... or towards Apple's marketing people... or towards entry-level consumers...? |
marketing people in general, apple for inventing it and the rest of the herd for following the trend
Yours Truly,
iAPU
Thanks for the clarification.
In Apple's defense, you must admit... it (at first) was a catchy and effective way to brand their new direction. It worked. Very well, I might add.
But now that the horse is long-dead... they continue to beat it. I can't say I fault them for the INCEPTION of the trend, but the longevity is taking a toll and is (as I said before) self-dilluting and very soon will be detremental to them.
The challenge, if they WERE to shift from it, how to migrate a naming structure away from existing products & offerings...
the iSight is what it is. To just arbitrarilly rename it would yield no positive results... the same with the iPod or the iApps.
The computers may be able to migrate to a new naming scheme, but right now, the lines of delineation are clear:
Power = Pro
i = Consumer
Power Mac & Power Book are pro
iMac & iBook are consumer
As old as it is, it's a clear differentiator. I think they need a similar paradigm to shift to, but that's where my "armchair intervention" hits a wall. It's easy for me to criticize, but what do I have to offer for suggestions moving forward...? I have no awe-inspiring ideas to offer... I can only hope that Apple does.
Time will tell.
In Apple's defense, you must admit... it (at first) was a catchy and effective way to brand their new direction. It worked. Very well, I might add.
But now that the horse is long-dead... they continue to beat it. I can't say I fault them for the INCEPTION of the trend, but the longevity is taking a toll and is (as I said before) self-dilluting and very soon will be detremental to them.
The challenge, if they WERE to shift from it, how to migrate a naming structure away from existing products & offerings...
the iSight is what it is. To just arbitrarilly rename it would yield no positive results... the same with the iPod or the iApps.
The computers may be able to migrate to a new naming scheme, but right now, the lines of delineation are clear:
Power = Pro
i = Consumer
Power Mac & Power Book are pro
iMac & iBook are consumer
As old as it is, it's a clear differentiator. I think they need a similar paradigm to shift to, but that's where my "armchair intervention" hits a wall. It's easy for me to criticize, but what do I have to offer for suggestions moving forward...? I have no awe-inspiring ideas to offer... I can only hope that Apple does.
Time will tell.
I guess one worry is that the current iApps/ iProducts would loose their strength- and be seen as old; consumers (and professionals for that matter) can be fickle, ie: "You are only using the iSight?- We have jSights here",
or "The iPod is old- if you look at the rest of the Apple range, they are now onto j prefixing, so don't buy an iPod now, wait for the jPod- they are going to announce it soon enough, and it goes to 11"
But I agree, a change is good (if the change is for the better).
or "The iPod is old- if you look at the rest of the Apple range, they are now onto j prefixing, so don't buy an iPod now, wait for the jPod- they are going to announce it soon enough, and it goes to 11"
But I agree, a change is good (if the change is for the better).
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Originally posted by LightWaver-67: In Apple's defense, you must admit... it (at first) was a catchy and effective way to brand their new direction. It worked. Very well, I might add. |
You hit the head on the nail. A name, term, sign, symbol, or design � in Apple's case the prefix "i" � that identifies with a company is branding. Companies spend millions of dollars to create a brand image and in Apple's case it has worked. Now that the prefix "i" is ingrained in Apple's branding image, it is insignificant what it stands for or whether its meaning is diluted. When you hear any "i" product, you associate it with Apple. They've spent millions in marketing dollars and years to develop the brand � so why should they drop it?
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Originally posted by waxcrash: You hit the head on the nail. A name, term, sign, symbol, or design � in Apple's case the prefix "i" � that identifies with a company is branding. Companies spend millions of dollars to create a brand image and in Apple's case it has worked. Now that the prefix "i" is ingrained in Apple's branding image, it is insignificant what it stands for or whether its meaning is diluted. When you hear any "i" product, you associate it with Apple. They've spent millions in marketing dollars and years to develop the brand � so why should they drop it? |
couldn't have said it better myself
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Originally posted by DeathToWindows: couldn't have said it better myself |
iAgree
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Originally posted by waxcrash: You hit the head on the nail. A name, term, sign, symbol, or design � in Apple's case the prefix "i" � that identifies with a company is branding. Companies spend millions of dollars to create a brand image and in Apple's case it has worked. Now that the prefix "i" is ingrained in Apple's branding image, it is insignificant what it stands for or whether its meaning is diluted. When you hear any "i" product, you associate it with Apple. They've spent millions in marketing dollars and years to develop the brand � so why should they drop it? |
Because it was built and leveraged off of something unoriginal to them. No matter how successful it's been for them, the "i" naming structure (at least to me) carries the stench of the late-'90s internet boom.
They weren't the first to use the "i" or "e" prefix, and they were far from the last, but they're definately one of the few who have promoted their i-Products the heaviest.
Any company can come-out with an iToaster that toasts bread while surfing the internet... they don't need Apple's permission... Apple does not own the "i" moniker.
THAT is why I feel they need to migrate from it soon.
NOT change existing names just yet, but a transition to a different naming structure.
eh... what do I know...?
sorry lightwaver but im leaning more toward everyone else on the branding.
If Sony came out with an " iToaster " people would think Apple made it. So they would probably call it " Sony Viao Toaster" or "Sony Trinitron Toatser"
If Sony came out with an " iToaster " people would think Apple made it. So they would probably call it " Sony Viao Toaster" or "Sony Trinitron Toatser"
Wow, you really thought this one out! You sure you're not a zealot? 
Yeah, I agree with the branding point. I actually never thought about it, apple uses "i" same as ford using "xlt" I guess.
Yeah, I agree with the branding point. I actually never thought about it, apple uses "i" same as ford using "xlt" I guess.
I think that for marketing, it is important for a company to have a recognizable name an icon. At the momen Apple has both.
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Originally posted by wdlove: ...At the moment... |
