Apple considered naming its pioneering smartphone the “Telepod”, “Mobi”, “Tripod” and “iPad”, before settling on the now famous iPhone name.
Speaking at the University of Arizona’s Department of Marketing, Ken Segall, ex-Apple advertising executive revealed naming the smartphone was not an obvious process, and that a number of other names were debated before the company decided on “iPhone”; reports 9to5mac.
The name “Telepod” was considered to be a suitable convergence between a telephone and the then-popular iPod, while “Mobi” was mooted as the shortened nickname for the word “mobile”.
The “Tripod” suggestion was based on the concept of the original smartphone being a combination of three devices: a telephone, an iPod, and an internet-enabled device.
Apple originally developed its tablet before the smartphone, but decided to focus more immediately on rolling out the phone. As such, the name “iPad” was also considered for the original smartphone given the design and competencies of the device, however the name fell by the wayside and eventually became the name of the now-popular tablet.
