Ken Segall is responsible for the ‘i’ on Apple devices, but he now thinks it’s time to drop the iPhone name altogether.
Should Apple change the name iPhone?
Steve Jobs appointed Ken Segall as creative director of Apple’s advertising agency at the time. He has remained with the company ever since. He is the man behind many famous Apple campaigns, including the Think Different-advertisement. His biggest influence on Apple’s branding is undoubtedly the ‘i’ prefix he came up with for the name of the iPhone, among other things.
That ‘i’ dates back to 1998, when the iMac was first introduced. The ‘i’ stood for internet, individual, instruct, inform and inspire – everything Apple stood for. The branding technique was a great success. A trend was even set where all subsequent Apple products were given the ‘i’ in front of the name, such as the iPod, iPad and iPhone.
The ‘i’ has to go
According to a report from Wired Segall believes that Apple should now opt for a new brand name. A name that reflects the evolved versions of the new top products. Here’s what Segall had to say:
“The ‘i’ needs to go,” he says. “It’s now meaningless. Sure, Jobs built Apple around it, but remember, the ‘i’ has always been a sub-brand. There might be marketing experts who say Apple would be crazy to drop the prefix – it’s still in front of some of the biggest brands ever – but it can’t be protected, and for too long there have been companies with ‘i’ internet- connected things, and that’s an issue for Apple, known for innovation.”
Loosely translated it says the following:
“The ‘i’ has to go,” he says. “It has no meaning anymore. Sure, Jobs built Apple around it, but don’t forget that the ‘i’ has always been a sub-brand. There may be marketing experts who say Apple would be crazy to drop the prefix – it still stands for some of the biggest brands ever – but it can’t be protected and for too long there have been companies with ‘i’ Internet-related stuff. That’s a problem for Apple, which is known for innovation.”
Rebranding is already underway
If we look closely, we see that Apple has been slowly rebranding since 2007. That started with the Apple TV. However, that was not intentional, because the original name was iTV. The first conscious choice for a different name was the Apple Watch, now followed by the Apple Vision Pro.
Apple has positioned itself so strongly in the market that many Apple users also buy the products when the prefix is not there, such as with the MacBook. Loyal consumers may be more attached to the name iPhone. In such a case, if the rebranding is not done carefully, it can alienate consumers.
Apple has therefore adjusted its brand positioning by making changes to its product range. Given the evolution of the tech industry and Apple, Segall’s position on a new name for the iPhone, among other things, seems logical. Despite this, many Apple users have shared their concerns on various forums. They hope that the rebranding will not follow the strategy of X (formerly Twitter).
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