What does the “i� in iPod stand for?
Posted by Helper Monkey
Ever since the iPod first appeared back in October 2001, there have been a number of theories put forth as to just what the “i� in iPod stands for. Macenstein reader Zardoz pointed us to an article which claims to know not only what the “I� stands for, but the “p�, “o� and “d� as well.
Writing for the Jewish World Review, Greg Crosby Claims not only that “iPod� is an acronym, but also that he knows what it stands for. Conventional wisdom has put the iPod as being, above all things, a “pod�, meaning it is a portable device that will interface with everything from computers to TVs to who knows what, allowing you to store and use all different sorts of data in all sorts of different ways (conventional wisdom also says acronyms are usually comprised mainly of capital letters).
However Mr. Crosby claims the iPod is actually an acronym for “Interface Protocol Option Devices�. But if that were the case, why would Apple bother to shorten hot catchy sounding name? I want an Interface Protocol Option Device NOW.
In Pink!
From Crosby’s article:
“For those of you who are not up on the latest and greatest in the world of electronic toys, the iPod is an acronym for Interface Protocol Option Devices. In English that means these are small portable machines which store and play music. That’s it in a nutshell (pun intended).â€?
Now, I would never suggest someone writing for an insiders “tech� journal of such importance as the Jewish World Review website would not know their stuff (nor would I point out that that “Interface Protocol Option Devices“ doesn’t even make sense), but Mr. Crosby seems to not even know what a “pun� is.
I’ve read reports in the past that suggest iPod stands for “idiots price our devicesâ€?, or that the “iâ€? in iPod stands for anything from “isolationâ€? to “I want oneâ€? (based on Apple’s latest sales figures, it is more likely it stands for “I HAVE one”). What seems more likely to me is that Apple first coined the “iâ€? with their first iMac back in the 90’s due to how easy it was to connect to this “great new thingâ€? called the internet, and then they just carried the “iâ€? throughout their entire consumer line (iBook, iLife) based on the success of the iMac. I’m not sure the “iâ€? means anything in relation to the iPod other than Apple expected it to be a big seller.
But back to Mr. Crosby’s article, which is pretty much the greatest thing I have ever read. If you have any doubt as to whether Crosby has any inside information about the iPod, and its possible literary origins, look no further than his explanation of why he doesn’t want an iPod:
“…I probably wouldn’t be able to figure out how to download the stupid thingâ€?.
Brilliant. This guy definitely seems to be “up on the latest and greatest in the world of electronic toys�, and the right man to cover CES.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go cover the Westchester Jewish Conference, but first, let me tell you what “Koran� stands for….
brilliant. absolutely brilliant. five gold stars of David
yeh ipods are good but itunes can burn in hell
i=idiots
I just happened by your piece on Crosby’s article and I have to say that for the first time in about a year, I laughed out loud in a room all by myself. A real piece of work brother…very witty and funny. 5 stars.
very very very gooood!!!!!i’ll get it to do a research for my english teacher…however…5platinium stars!
I agree… Ipod = great, itunes = horrible!
i in iPod stands for illuminati. Wake up people! All seeing eye= illuminati symbol. Apple with bite out of it symbolized evil (garden of edan and Adam and Eve)
ok..stop follin us … just xplain what does i stand for in iMAC?, iPHONE, iTUNE??????? xplain
According to Wikipedia, the I stands for internet. Apple marketed their iMacs as having the excitement of the Internet, with the simplicity of Macintosh. Apple later adopted the ‘i’ prefix across its consumer hardware and software lines, such as the iPod, iBook, iPhone and various pieces of software such as the iLife suite and iWork.