What Does the 'i' in iPod, iPhone and iPad Stand For?

Apple has created a brand of i-products that are arguably unparalleled in function and design. So much so that customers haven’t had time to stop and ask, "What does “i” really mean?"

When Apple debuted its first i-product – the iMac – Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and CEO, said it was “the marriage of the excitement of the Internet with the simplicity of Macintosh,” hence the “i” for Internet and the “Mac” for Macintosh.

Internet is probably the word most commonly thought to be represented by the “i.” But Internet isn’t the only i-meaning term – Jobs went on to give others. These are:  individual, which refers to the personal nature of the computer; instruct, as the computer was also intended for educational purposes; inform; and inspire.

Since the 1998 iMac debut, Apple has gone on to create several other similarly-designed consumer products using the “i,” including the iPod, iPhone, and now the iPad.

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