Why is Apple advised to abandon the iPhone brand?

Marketer Ken Segall advises Apple to abandon the “i” prefix in the iPhone name. In his opinion, this prefix has already lost its original significance. If this advice came from any other marketer, it might be easy to ignore. But Segall is not a random person: in 1998, it was he who came up with the iMac brand.

Then, about 25 years ago, Apple planned to call computers MacMan, but this idea was abandoned in favor of a more laconic iMac: the new version was designed to emphasize the innovative Internet connection function. The “i” prefix soon found its way into the names of other company products, including iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes and iCloud.

Now, as Segall noted in an interview with Wired, “i” no longer carries the same meaning and therefore should be excluded from branding.

Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, partner at branding agency Forge Coop, echoes this sentiment, noting that in today's world where the Internet is accessible to everyone, the "i" prefix seems outdated. However, he emphasizes that Apple's brand strength is so strong that consumers will buy products regardless of their name.

It should be noted that many modern Apple devices are already released without the “i” prefix. Among them are Apple TV, Apple Watch, HomePod, Vision Pro, Mac Studio and others. These products demonstrate that the company seems to have begun to move away from using the "i" prefix in its new lines. But will the company's management listen to the advice of experts and abandon the iPhone brand? This, of course, seems unlikely in the near future.