Apple also behind Slate Computing, filings suggest
Records indicate that Apple may be behind Slate Computing, LLC - the company currently in possession of the iSlate trademark.
Slate Computing, owner of the "iSlate" trademark may be a shell company set up by Apple to quietly obtain U.S. trademark protection for the name. According to legal filings, Slate Computing obtained the trademark for "iSlate" in November of 2006, and the signatory was Apple's Trademark Specialist, Regina Porter. The only real piece of information on Slate Computing that can be found online is in the description of the business found in the filing. These findings were obtained by TechCrunch and MacRumors.
According to TechCrunch, Slate Computing had also filed trademark for the term in the European Union through the same law firm that Apple has worked with in the past to trademark other product names such as the iPhone. Apple used a corporation based in Trinidad &Tobago, where Apple has registered European Union trademarks in the past, to register for the trademark.
As reported by fscklog, Slate Computing is also the owner of the "Magic Slate" trademark, which follows the same naming conventions as the latest release of Apple's "Magic Mouse."
Apple's ownership of the iSlate.com domain was originally brought to light by Mark Gurman of AppleRejectedMe.
Rumors of a potential tablet device from Apple have been swirling for many years and recent reports have all hinted at an early 2010 launch. The tablet has reportedly been the number one focus of CEO Steve Jobs since returning to his company this summer.
Slate Computing, owner of the "iSlate" trademark may be a shell company set up by Apple to quietly obtain U.S. trademark protection for the name. According to legal filings, Slate Computing obtained the trademark for "iSlate" in November of 2006, and the signatory was Apple's Trademark Specialist, Regina Porter. The only real piece of information on Slate Computing that can be found online is in the description of the business found in the filing. These findings were obtained by TechCrunch and MacRumors.
According to TechCrunch, Slate Computing had also filed trademark for the term in the European Union through the same law firm that Apple has worked with in the past to trademark other product names such as the iPhone. Apple used a corporation based in Trinidad &Tobago, where Apple has registered European Union trademarks in the past, to register for the trademark.
As reported by fscklog, Slate Computing is also the owner of the "Magic Slate" trademark, which follows the same naming conventions as the latest release of Apple's "Magic Mouse."
Apple's ownership of the iSlate.com domain was originally brought to light by Mark Gurman of AppleRejectedMe.
Rumors of a potential tablet device from Apple have been swirling for many years and recent reports have all hinted at an early 2010 launch. The tablet has reportedly been the number one focus of CEO Steve Jobs since returning to his company this summer.
Comments
Records indicate that Apple may be behind Slate Computing, LLC - the company currently in possession of the iSlate trademark.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
The name Slate Computing reminds me of the cloner Power Computing.
I pray they don't use "magic slate"
it sounds horrible to say.
Records indicate that Apple may be behind Slate Computing, LLC - the company currently in possession of the iSlate trademark.
you sure it's apple and not mr. slate?
“Of course we'll file that trademark, tomorrow…”
Images: wikimedia.
its registered to a steve jobs, and the last login was all the way back in april....
i wonder.
I pray they don't use "magic slate"
it sounds horrible to say.
It also has the initials MS and since the new mouse uses ?magic? I?d think that Magic Slate would be an accessory, like the Magic Mouse. Perhaps a hybrid, Wacom-like touchpad pointing device that uses USB to connect to Macs or even non-Mac PCs? Nah, that seems like too much out of teh gate. A tablet device and new MBPs with a touchpad with visual output as well as input.
islate is growing on me very fast.. it sounds catchy but I wouldn't naturally assume its a tablet computer. I'm still wondering what the final name will be..and also what in the world a magic slate could be named after??
Yes, and iPod sounded a little weird at first, didn't it?
Still, I think the iSlate thing still can be read and disparaged as "is late" and would never survive internal discussions.
"Slate" without the "i" is great, though. It has an iconic sound to it, like everyone is going to call every tablet computer with sub-desktop operating systems a "slate" whether they are made by apple or not, the way everyone calls tissues "kleenex" even if they're not made by the Kleenex people.
Go slate.
I've had a lot of macs in my day, back to 1984, but there was always an obvious use for each one; this is the first time I'm serious considering buying an apple product just for the hell of it. Just to see what it can do. I am salivating at the remote control possibilities (you could control your itunes and really never want to go to the desktop, unlike with the ipod touch) and the thought of travelling with it.
Pixel Qi screen? Viable? Would be awesome if they're as good as people say.
Now add video, web, books, wireless, gestures, and god-knows what else to its abilities. It really could be the beginning of something big and revolutionary.
have yall seen www.myspace.com/islate ?
its registered to a steve jobs, and the last login was all the way back in april....
i wonder.
1) The age is not correct
2) The astrological sign is not correct
3) There is no way in hell Steve would have created a MySpace page during his sick leave and called it iSlate.
"Slate" without the "i" is great, though. It has an iconic sound to it, like everyone is going to call every tablet computer with sub-desktop operating systems a "slate" whether they are made by apple or not, the way everyone calls tissues "kleenex" even if they're not made by the Kleenex people.
Go slate.
If you're dropping the "i" why not just call it the Mac Slate?
MacSlate - Sounds too much like a McDonalds product
AppleSlate - Sounds dumb
I'm tired of guessing. I think I'll just monitor the thread for a while because the only thing I can come up with, given the info in this article, is iSlate. And that one is definitely not original with me.
If you're dropping the "i" why not just call it the Mac Slate?
I contend that by using ?Mac? in the name it would be assumed that it would run Mac OS X and have access to every Mac app currently available for Snow Leopard, thus it can?t feasibly be named Mac anything if primarily using finger-based access akin to the iPhone/Touch.
The biggest problem with this story is that the domain was registered nearly four years ago. It's difficult to believe that Apple chose a name for this product in 2006. Normally, you'd think this would be virtually the last thing they'd do. Surely, not before it was even designed.
Excellent point. A lot can change in marketing in 4 years.
"Slate" without the "i" is great.
there is no 'i' in 'slate'.
iSlate.... I wonder what conversations have gone on between Apple and textbook publishers. Know a single college kid who wouldn't be delighted to exchange a backpack full of $100 textbooks for an iSlate and e-texts, even if publishers were charging $75 a download?
What if the publishers were charging the same amount and were NOT allowing for transference of the books to another user? That becomes less compelling but I think that if the textbooks allowed for powerful annotations with highlighting, underlining, text colour and font alterations, note taking in various ways and everything else to mimic having a real book in hand then I think it could be a very big hit.
What is the publishers were charging the same amount and were NOT allowing for transference of the books to another user? That becomes less compelling but I think that if the textbooks allowed for powerful annotations with highlighting, underlining, text colour and font alterations, note taking in various ways and everything else to mimic having a real book in hand then I think it could be a very big hit.
This would be a huge hit. I am a college student and I can't begin to describe how awesome an annotatable eTextbook would be. It saves weight, money and paper. I'd be first in line! And some multimedia features would be nice too.
Personally, I am holding out for some kind of Pen input (perfect for note taking and art making) along with OSX Finder/Desktop for a truly professional portable machine, what I am afraid is that Apple is going to go over board with finger gesture input and the dumbed down iPhone OS.
What if the publishers were charging the same amount and were NOT allowing for transference of the books to another user? That becomes less compelling but I think that if the textbooks allowed for powerful annotations with highlighting, underlining, text colour and font alterations, note taking in various ways and everything else to mimic having a real book in hand then I think it could be a very big hit.
I would have gladly purchased something like that when I was in college if it had existed in more than just the movies or the realm of science fiction.