iGuide may be service tied to forthcoming Apple tablet
With evidence mounting that Apple is racing towards an early 2010 introduction of its much-anticipated multi-touch tablet, the guessing game over what name the company will use to market the device has kicked into overdrive, with yet another candidate surfacing this week in "iGuide."
It was reported last week that Apple set up a shell company by the name of Slate Computing, LLC three years ago in an effort to secure a trademark on the term "iSlate" without drawing the attention of its competitors and the media, similar to what it had accomplished through the shell company Ocean Telecom in regards to the "iPhone" mark.
Slate Computing, in addition to owning the iSlate mark, is also the listed register of the trademark on "Magic Slate." Both terms seem well-suited for an Apple tablet that would resemble a device akin to a jumbo iPod touch.
In particular, the former stands out as the most likely contender given that the editor of rumored Apple tablet content provider, the New York Times, made mention of an "impending Apple slate" during a presentation to the newspaper's digital staff two months before word of Apple's involvement with Slate Computing was brought to light.
"We need to figure out the right journalistic product to deliver to mobile platforms and devices," he said. "I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that."
Meanwhile, it surfaced Tuesday that Apple also appears to be behind another shell company by the name of iGuide Media, LLC, which has held a pending application on the "iGuide" trademark since December of 2007. MacRumors, which reported the connection, says the discovery may shed doubt on earlier assumptions that Apple may coin its tablet the iSlate because the trademark classifications for iGuide seems a better fit for the rumored device:
Computer hardware and computer software for accessing, browsing, searching, recording, organizing, storing, transmitting, receiving, manipulating, streaming, reproducing, playing, and reviewing audio, video, games, music, television, movies, photographs, and other multimedia content.
The classification also covers a wide variety of downloadable electronic content:
Downloadable electronic publications in the nature of books, magazines, newsletters, journals, and blogs in the fields of entertainment, sports, science, history, culture, celebrities, news, current events, politics, technology, and education;
TechCrunch, however, did some more digging and found no evidence that Apple owns any iGuide-related domain names. By contrast, it was also revealed last week that Apple has taken control of a handful of iSlate domain names.
The technology blog also points out that the description of goods and services given to iGuide Media in its filings weighs more heavily towards services than that give to iSlate. It therefore concludes that iGuide is more likely to be a service tied to the Apple tablet than the name of the device itself.
Still, there's no concrete evidence that Apple will use any of the aforementioned names in relation to its tablet. The Cupertino-based firm has the capacity to set up any number of shell companies it desires, with very little effort or monetary resources. The only surefire assumptions that can be made from the past two weeks of discoveries is that the company at one time saw enough interest in the aforementioned terms to secure the rights to use them down the line if it so chooses.
It was reported last week that Apple set up a shell company by the name of Slate Computing, LLC three years ago in an effort to secure a trademark on the term "iSlate" without drawing the attention of its competitors and the media, similar to what it had accomplished through the shell company Ocean Telecom in regards to the "iPhone" mark.
Slate Computing, in addition to owning the iSlate mark, is also the listed register of the trademark on "Magic Slate." Both terms seem well-suited for an Apple tablet that would resemble a device akin to a jumbo iPod touch.
In particular, the former stands out as the most likely contender given that the editor of rumored Apple tablet content provider, the New York Times, made mention of an "impending Apple slate" during a presentation to the newspaper's digital staff two months before word of Apple's involvement with Slate Computing was brought to light.
"We need to figure out the right journalistic product to deliver to mobile platforms and devices," he said. "I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that."
Meanwhile, it surfaced Tuesday that Apple also appears to be behind another shell company by the name of iGuide Media, LLC, which has held a pending application on the "iGuide" trademark since December of 2007. MacRumors, which reported the connection, says the discovery may shed doubt on earlier assumptions that Apple may coin its tablet the iSlate because the trademark classifications for iGuide seems a better fit for the rumored device:
Computer hardware and computer software for accessing, browsing, searching, recording, organizing, storing, transmitting, receiving, manipulating, streaming, reproducing, playing, and reviewing audio, video, games, music, television, movies, photographs, and other multimedia content.
The classification also covers a wide variety of downloadable electronic content:
Downloadable electronic publications in the nature of books, magazines, newsletters, journals, and blogs in the fields of entertainment, sports, science, history, culture, celebrities, news, current events, politics, technology, and education;
TechCrunch, however, did some more digging and found no evidence that Apple owns any iGuide-related domain names. By contrast, it was also revealed last week that Apple has taken control of a handful of iSlate domain names.
The technology blog also points out that the description of goods and services given to iGuide Media in its filings weighs more heavily towards services than that give to iSlate. It therefore concludes that iGuide is more likely to be a service tied to the Apple tablet than the name of the device itself.
Still, there's no concrete evidence that Apple will use any of the aforementioned names in relation to its tablet. The Cupertino-based firm has the capacity to set up any number of shell companies it desires, with very little effort or monetary resources. The only surefire assumptions that can be made from the past two weeks of discoveries is that the company at one time saw enough interest in the aforementioned terms to secure the rights to use them down the line if it so chooses.
Comments
Since the iPod, companies all over like to use iThis and iThat. For people us the US look at Jeeps new saying " iLive iRide iAm ... Jeep " Hands down Apple inspires others which is soooooo cool.
Plus JEEPS Are probably the Best ALL AROUND VEHICLE to drive.
Really?
It wouldn't itself be akin to a jumbo iPod Touch? Or directly resemble a jumbo iPod Touch?
It would resemble some other device that was akin to a jumbo iPod Touch?
iGuide sounds like a Nav device. at least iSlate (or iPod Slate which might be more likely) sounds neutral enough to cover all the likely bits and pieces of the device.
My first thought was a guide for TV subscriptions, but your idea of their rumoured maps and nav app sounds much better.
So what's the fuss all about? Who really cares what Apple names or calls a new device. In the scheme of things, it "ain't" no big deal!
It may not be a big deal, but names are important and it's interesting to speculate.
If the iPod was called the IX200920F Media Player it may not have gotten the breaks it has gotten. Take the name "Apple", it's a good name, a very good name for a company for several reasons. Therefore there are good names and bad names. Names matter whether you want to admit that or not.
Why would I call it iTunes? The name "iGuide" picks up a meme from TVGuide as well as the i-anything-Apple meme. And it is clear that with tens of millions of iThings to buy we all need some i-Guidance.
Prediction: iGuide will be the successor to the iTunes preview/store. In the future there still will be an iTunes media player application for your mac or pc, but you will buy iThings using the iGuide to the Apple Store.
If I had an online store with 100k+ apps and games for distribution, plus a music store with several million songs for sale, plus a video store with thousands of movies and tv shows for sale, and I wanted to add e-books and e-magazines and subscriptions...
Why would I call it iTunes? The name "iGuide" picks up a meme from TVGuide as well as the i-anything-Apple meme. And it is clear that with tens of millions of iThings to buy we all need some i-Guidance.
Prediction: iGuide will be the successor to the iTunes preview/store. In the future there still will be an iTunes media player application for your mac or pc, but you will buy iThings using the iGuide to the Apple Store.
Pretty decent first post. Welcome.
It may not be a big deal, but names are important and it's interesting to speculate.
If the iPod was called the IX200920F Media Player it may not have gotten the breaks it has gotten. Take the name "Apple", it's a good name, a very good name for a company for several reasons. Therefore there are good names and bad names. Names matter whether you want to admit that or not.
Absolutely. It's impossible to overestimate the power of Apple's branding and how they have maintained simplicity and clarity in their product lineup.
My guess is that if there is such an animal as an "iGuide", it will be the Tablet OS equivalent to the Finder, an with emphasis on hooks to the cloud and live content.
If there's a single, significant point of differentiation to be made between traditional desktop OSes and something closer to the iPhone OS, it's around the whole idea of a "Finder", with its hierarchical file structures and folder based desktop metaphor.
If I had an online store with 100k+ apps and games for distribution, plus a music store with several million songs for sale, plus a video store with thousands of movies and tv shows for sale, and I wanted to add e-books and e-magazines and subscriptions...
Why would I call it iTunes? The name "iGuide" picks up a meme from TVGuide as well as the i-anything-Apple meme. And it is clear that with tens of millions of iThings to buy we all need some i-Guidance.
Prediction: iGuide will be the successor to the iTunes preview/store. In the future there still will be an iTunes media player application for your mac or pc, but you will buy iThings using the iGuide to the Apple Store.
I don’t quite get the obsessive need to make iTunes, out of all the product names in the world, fit exactly with the store’s complete content. If there is a cardinal rule in marketing it’s you don’t change the name of a well known product that is working. You only change it to lessen an unfavorable association with that name. They dropped “Music” from the name to show that it included more than just audio, but they didn’t change iTunes because it’s the important part of the name and it’s a word they made up.
7-Eleven convenient stores are usually opened 24 hours now yet they didn’t change the name. Coca-Cola no longer contains cocaine. Sugar and caffeine free Pepsi has nothing in it to give you ‘pep'. McDonald’s hasn’t been owned by the McDonald brothers since 1955. The list goes on and on. The iPod was never really fit into any of the pod definitions.
I think the maps and navigation app Apple is rumoured to be building is a more likely fit.
I think you meant coke no longer has cocaine. it still has caffeine.
http://wilstar.net/caffeine.htm
I think you meant coke no longer has cocaine. it still has caffeine.
Yes, that is what I meant. Fixed.
Interesting that Diet Coke has a lot more caffeine than Coca-Cola Classic.
Interesting description of the projected functions of the device:
"Computer hardware and computer software for accessing, browsing, searching, recording, organizing, storing, transmitting, receiving, manipulating, streaming, reproducing, playing, and reviewing audio, video, games, music, television, movies, photographs, and other multimedia content"
Among other things, think of how a video camera has already been integrated into the iPod nano, and now imagine the possibilities for a much larger device, with all the space for the extra circuitry and sensors for much higher quality video and photography, and all the sophistication that Apple software coupled with a large multi-touch screen could bring to photography and video-making. Intriguing...
Yes, that is what I meant. Fixed.
Interesting that Diet Coke has a lot more caffeine than Coca-Cola Classic.
And both still have spent Coca leaves for flavor. Diet also has Aspartame, which is notoriously bad for you.
And both still have spent Coca leaves for flavor. Diet also has Aspartame, which is notoriously bad for you.
Ah, yes they do. Okay, scratch that example and input 10 thousand more in its place to signify that a product or company?s key marketing term should not be changed simply because it no longer fits exactly into a mold of the original term.
PS: I don?t think Dr. Pepper ever went to medical school.
I don?t quite get the obsessive need to make iTunes, out of all the product names in the world, fit exactly with the store?s complete content. If there is a cardinal rule in marketing it?s you don?t change the name of a well known product that is working. You only change it to lessen an unfavorable association with that name.
Like .Mac => Mobile Me because the Mac part was limiting the appeal to Windows users. In as much as the name iTunes may be less appealing to magazine publishers which Apple is rumored to be courting.
Imagine Apple made a whole new App called iGuide. Not gone on that name though.
I was thinking iGuide would be a good candidate for a touch Mac integrated into vehicles. Maybe Apple plans to go to car companies & sell the tablet as an interface for their vehicle systems; give SYNC a run for it's money.