What’s in an Apple tablet computer name?

Since we are guessing about everything else, and since we have no actual facts to go on, we may as well guess about the name for the much-rumored Apple tablet, just to keep our hands in.

At some point, the Apple Computer and Lava Lamp company may actually release a tablet computer. And when (or if) they do, it will almost certainly have a name, since it is unlikely that Apple would ever call a product “œThat thing over there” because that would not have all that much marketing appeal. There would seem to be any number of candidates for possible names. A column today in the Washington Post thinks that it’s going to be the iSlate, because Apple owns that name.

A number of other names have been floated, especially iTablet, and now iGuide. That is letting out the more pedestrian possibilities, of course, such as iLegalPad, iStenoPad, iCollegeRuled, and perhaps iYellowPaper. Almost anything with an “œi” in front of it is a possibility, so we should not discount iJournal, iSheaf, iMemo, iPad ( I really like that), iJotter, or maybe iSlideAndTapMyFingers. Some of those, of course, would be better than some others.

Seriously, it would seem that there are a number of reasonable names and Apple will surely select a good one. On the reality front, there is be a lot of information pointing to an announcement in late January and a release sometime shortly after that, still with a 10-inch touchscreen form factor and acting like an iPod Touch on steroids, if taking an average of the most frequent rumors is anything to go by, Perhaps the most amazing part is that Apple stock is going up and down partially on the rumors of this unannounced (and even as yet unmentioned) product. I wonder if Adam Smith could have foreseen this sort of free market action?

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•