14 DAY TRIAL // Speaking to an audience at the University of Arizona’s Department of Marketing, Ken Segall (Apple’s former ad lead) revealed that, in addition to iPhone, Apple considered calling its smartphone “Telepod,” “Mobi,” “MicroMac,” “Tripod,” and even “iPad.”
Attending the event, 9to5mac’s Scott Buscemi took note of the names Apple had considered for what we call today “iPhone,” and shared the details with the Apple blogosphere.
“Telepod” was considered because it put a futuristic spin on the word “telephone.” Then the rather naive “Mobi” came up in discussions. According to Segall, the dubbing was considered because Apple wanted a play on the word “mobile.”
One name that got more attention (and actually made some sense) was “Tripod.” It combined the three things Steve Jobs had touted on stage at Macworld 2007 – the phone + iPod + internet device.
Lastly, the “iPad” was also considered, according to Segall. Apple / Steve Jobs is known to have imagined the tablet computer ahead of the iPhone, though the company eventually pushed forward with its smartphone plans to gain momentum.
The iPad name, although under consideration for the smartphone, was eventually dropped.