Your iPhone Could Have Been the ... Telepod

Apple also considered 'Mobi' and 'Tripod'
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 10, 2013 5:15 PM CDT
Your iPhone Could Have Been the ... Telepod
It's an iPhone.   (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof, File)

Would you have bought a Telepod? Or a Mobi? Turns out those are two names Apple considered for its original iPhone, 9to5Mac reports. Ken Segall, former chief of Apple advertising, revealed the names to a marketing crowd at the University of Arizona last week. Apple's reasoning:

  • Telepod: It sounded like a futuristic version of the word "telephone," said Segall. Not to mention that it included the word "pod" when iPods were already hugely popular.
  • Mobi: This one played on the word "mobile." Segall described "Mobi" as having a personality and sounding creative.
  • Tripod: Back then, Apple considered its new phone a blend of phone, iPod, and Internet communicator. Apple even marketed the first iPhone in that light.

Click to see why the iPhone was nearly called an "iPad." (More iPhone stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X