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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