A recent article in CIO solved the mystery of where some of the most iconic tech brand names came from.
from cio.com
Ipod – apparently this one came from Steve Jobs originally conceiving of Apple’s MP3 player as a hub to other gadgets. They hired a copywriter who started to research all different kinds of hubs and eventually came up with the idea of a spaceship which you could leave but you’d have to return to refuel. The stark plastic front of the prototype inspired the final connection :”pod” and adding an “i” to the front created the link with Apple’s iMac.
from CIO.com
Blackberry was designed essentially out of research. They wanted a name which moved away from the word “email” which their research suggested raised the blood pressure. They wanted something which evoked feelings of joy and peace. Someone made the connection that the small buttons on the device resembled a bunch of seeds. The research and branding teams explored names like strawberry, melon and various vegetables before settling on blackberry – which evoked the required feelings of joy and also reflected the black colour of the device. Just think, this uniquotous device might have been legitimately called “the Melon”!
from cio.com
Twitter (yeah I wondered about that one too) apparently came about because the cofounder (Biz Stone) was reminded of the way birds communicate – short bursts of information, everyone chirping, having a good time. That inspired the original name “twttr” to which they eventually added some vowels.
