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How 10 Iconic Tech Products Got Their Names

Posted by timothy on from the slash-dev-slash-random dept.

lgmac writes "Think Windows Azure is a stupid name? Ever wonder how iPod, BlackBerry and Twitter got their names? Author Tom Wailgum goes inside the process of creating tech product names that are cool but not exclusionary, marketable, and most of all, free of copyright and trademark gotchas. Here's the scoop on ten iconic tech products and how they got their monikers, plus a chat with the man responsible for naming Azure, BlackBerry, and more. (What's the one he wishes he'd named but didn't? Google.)"

29 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. I bet... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...it involved a lot of pot.

    1. Re:I bet... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      and then there is Apple

      it's a phone, what should we call it? iPhone

      it's a new Mac, what should we call it? iMac

      it handles all your tunes, what should we call it? iTunes

      great, boys, we're done here

    2. Re:I bet... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      iPot?

      How about the "iForOneWelcomeOur...".

      On second thought - nah...

    3. Re:I bet... by MikeDirnt69 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'm still waiting for iPr0n.

      --
      Am I eval()? - http://www.monst3r.com.br
    4. Re:I bet... by Gilmoure · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hey maygn! Why you buy a car that no go?

      --
      I drank what? -- Socrates
    5. Re:I bet... by sorak · · Score: 4, Funny

      So, what kind of names do their children have? Did they spend months obsessively trying to determine a name that conveys "don't beat me up, now, please hire me later"?

    6. Re:I bet... by ZarathustraDK · · Score: 2, Funny

      They did the iRack, when are they gonna do the iRan?

      --
      If you quote this signature there'll be 72 copies of Windows ME waiting for you in Heaven.
    7. Re:I bet... by No-Cool-Nickname · · Score: 5, Funny

      it's a toilet, what should we call it? iShit

      it's an intravenous drug, what should we call it? iNject.

      it's an Apple fan boy, what should we call it? iDiot.

      (just a little joke, Macaniacs..)

    8. Re:I bet... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "it's a toilet, what should we call it? iShit"

      In the Health care industy, a shit is callws a 'BM' (stands for bowel movement)

      So an Apple toilet would be called... oh wait, you think big blues lawyers would have an iSue with that?

    9. Re:I bet... by Logic+Bomb · · Score: 4, Funny

      Mitch Hedberg had a bit on one of his comedy CDs about product naming. Paraphrasing: take whatever the product does and add "er."

      "What's this thing do?"

      "It keeps things fresh."

      "Then that's a fresher. I'm goin' on break."

    10. Re:I bet... by cheater512 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Hey if there was a patchy helicopter with me in its cross hairs I would be running pretty fast - not that running would do me much good. :P

    11. Re:I bet... by ndixon · · Score: 2, Funny

      Years back, I and a few colleagues noticed you could take whatever the product does (or whatever you'd do with it) and add "-ex".

      E.g. Kleenex, Earex, Sinex.

      We jokingly proposed a new toilet paper: Wipex.
      Of course, that name was already taken.

      Funny thing is, someone actually wrote a paper on this very subject.

      --
      Oh, how convenient: a theory about God that doesn't involve looking through a telescope.
  2. Quick, someone mail this article... by Fallingcow · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... to the GIMP devs.

  3. Re:MSFT by Mateo_LeFou · · Score: 5, Funny

    "If you want to keep us secure, take a page from Linux and open up your OS to public scrutiny so that people can perfect it. What are you afraid of?"

    You must be new here

    >mfh (56)

    or not

    --
    My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
  4. Depends on where you've been by OffTheLip · · Score: 2, Funny

    If the developers hail from a UNIX background there is no mystery. biff, awk, grep, sed. google and twitter seem tame by comparison.

    1. Re:Depends on where you've been by UnknowingFool · · Score: 2, Funny

      If the developers hail from a UNIX background there is no mystery. biff, awk, grep, sed. google and twitter seem tame by comparison.

      At least if you say twitter and google to a girl and they won't take it the wrong way.

      awk, biff, grep, sed, emacs, du, chmod:
      I definitely see a drink thrown in my face and a slap in the future. Even from imaginary ones.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  5. Azure? by jejones · · Score: 2, Funny

    I figured that they were tired of hearing about the BSOD, and "Azure screen of death" would at least sound nicer.

  6. Re:what about the one that concerns us all... by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 4, Funny

    RTFFAQ.

    http://slashdot.org/faq/slashmeta.shtml#sm150

    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  7. German naming process... by zappepcs · · Score: 5, Funny

    A couple decades back there was a German man with his own branding/naming company. A Japanese company, not satisfied with their experience for English speaking markets, called him up and asked him to help out with a new car. Naturally, he inquired as to the project timeline, due dates etc.

    Nervously, the Japanese marketer replied that they needed something for the following Monday.

    After a few moments pause, the German replied "Dat Soon? eh?"

    Later that same year he took a trip to London on business. While eating at a local steakhouse, he asked "what's dis here sauce?"

    --
    Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
    1. Re:German naming process... by AdamWeeden · · Score: 4, Funny

      I have mod points, but I can't seem to find the "-1 Groan" or "-1 Throw a Tomato" mod options.

      --
      I was quoted out of context in my autobiography...
  8. Re:TWAIN by gnick · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm still trying to find funding for my Tamper Indicative Toggle Switch. I even offered to change the name to Authenticated Smart Switch. For some reason, my boss objected to both names.

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  9. Re:TWAIN by ozamosi · · Score: 2, Funny

    You should stop try to find funding, and just do it. Like liboobs.

  10. Re:His explanation of Google's name is BS by chibiace · · Score: 4, Funny

    man those last ones you said are really from the past, im having trouble remembering them too. when was the last time you heard of yahoo?

    --
    he who controls the spice controls the universe
  11. Microsoft "Innovates" a lot by jonaskoelker · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who cares if we find out that you people at Microsoft haven't done any real work since 1990... we ALREADY KNOW THAT.

    Nah, their consumer OSes have seen the addition of memory protection. Beore then, Microsoft did some real doesn't-work.

  12. Re:the new way: by Lars+T. · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hint: it'll probably be spelt strangely.

    What do you know? http://www.speltstrangely.com/ is available!

    Finally a name for my OSS speech recognition project!

    --

    Lars T.

    To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck

  13. Re:the new way: by dubl-u · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, by all means someone should start selling a Skami Computer, hopefully via infomercial! I'd recommend filling out the product line with a "Do!Be!Us!" smartphone, a "Krapee" monitor line, the "De-Funk(t)" music player, the "Borkt" series of printers, and the "InnerFierce" wireless networking gear.

    But please, if you do this, make sure you set up your "world headquarters" in a semi-abandoned strip mall, and move it every time the landlord kicks you out for non-payment. (And no, you can't ever pay rent when running a scam. A penny stolen is a penny earned.)

    The good news is you'll be able to sell Vista on this stuff without increasing your complaint load. Heck, given the target audience, you could probably charge them for two copies and call it Double Vista.

  14. Now if we can just by The+Cisco+Kid · · Score: 2, Funny

    get online news websites to understand how the scrollbars work in a web browser, instead of breaking one 'page' into a dozen small ones that, instead of the whole article loading at once, and then being able to scroll smoothly, instead of having to click next, next, next, and have frustrating pauses while trying to read.

    After I read the first 'bit' and realized Id have to click, wait, click, wait to read the rest, I just closed the tab instead of bothering.

    Occasionally on sites like that there is a 'printable version' that gives the whole article as one, but lately it seems to just give a 'printable version' of that one bit of the story. /. editors - lets not encourage these sites by linking to them and giving them the ad traffic.

  15. Re:Second? Try third. by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 2, Funny

    IceWeasel? No no, that is too close to sounding like a trademark law firm.

    --
    It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  16. Re:His explanation of Google's name is BS by ajayrockrock · · Score: 2, Funny

    man those last ones you said are really from the past, im having trouble remembering them too. when was the last time you heard of yahoo?

    yeah, I've never heard of yahoo either. I'm going to jeeves it.