# i something? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046 "2010-01-30T19:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/1 "2010-01-30T19:55:14Z")
What does the “i” stand for in iPhone, iPod, iPad etc? I looked, but couldn’t find any information on that.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/2 "2010-01-30T19:58:19Z")
Internet. Remember, when the iMac was first introduced (1998), the Internet wasn’t as pervasive as it is now. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/3 "2010-01-30T20:01:54Z")
It was originally used in the iMac, for which the “i” stood for “internet”, representing the ease of connecting the computer to the internet (which wasn’t quite as easy to do for the average consumer back in those dark days). It also supposedly stood for “individual” at the same time. From Wikipedia: “Apple declared the ‘i’ in iMac to stand for “Internet”; it also represented the product’s focus as a personal device (‘i’ for “individual”).[3] Attention was given to the out-of-box experience: the user needed to go through only two steps to set up and connect to the Internet.” I’ve always assumed that the products that followed kept using the “i” just to keep the family name. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/4 "2010-01-30T20:02:48Z")
"i"nternet, back in the 1990s with the iMac. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/5 "2010-01-30T20:40:02Z")
Many thanks folks…I knew I could count on you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/6 "2010-01-30T20:51:51Z")
io by Duran Duran ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/7 "2010-01-30T22:20:14Z")
I remember that many early companies used either i for information or e for electronic as prefixes. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/8 "2010-01-30T22:40:19Z")
It doesn’t mean anything. That’s the beauty of it. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/9 "2010-01-31T01:00:39Z")
Does i not sometimes stand for interactive? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Philosopher)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/10 "2010-01-31T01:15:15Z")
Does Apple say what it stands for nowadays? Is it now ‘individual’ or does it just stand for whatever? It can’t still mean internet because the iPod didn’t have internet access for years. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/11 "2010-01-31T01:15:50Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Does i not sometimes stand for interactive? It did, but only once, in 1960… ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/12 "2010-01-31T01:57:09Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It doesn’t mean anything. That’s the beauty of it. I’ve heard that quote. Where’s it from? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/13 "2010-01-31T03:28:18Z")
garygnu writes: \> It did, but only once, in 1960… Does that also apply to 1920’s-style death rays? ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/14 "2010-02-01T02:40:58Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > I’ve heard that quote. Where’s it from? There was a thread about the possible origin oif that phrase a while back. - ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/15 "2010-02-01T02:49:06Z")
I palindrome I ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/16 "2010-02-01T03:41:27Z")
Expanding on the OP’s question, when did the first companies or products bearing the “ixxxx” name come into being? I worked for a startup named iAdvantage in 1996. I’m sure there were others way before that…right? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-something/527046/17 "2010-02-01T06:07:01Z")
> [@JpnDude](#): > > Expanding on the OP’s question, when did the first companies or products bearing the “ixxxx” name come into being? I worked for a startup named iAdvantage in 1996. I’m sure there were others way before that…right? I thought back then everything was e-this and e-that. Did Apple change that?