We now have the complete Apple product matrix, and it looks something like this:
Ignoring the gap beneath the Mac mini (MacBook mini anybody?), you’ll quickly notice one apparent inconsistency in the Mac product line: the iMac. I read John Gruber’s most recent post at Daring Fireball, and he touched on something I’ve been wondering myself: what about the iMac? With the death of PowerBook and iBook, every Mac now has “Mac” in the name, but the “i” nomenclature seems to have died out in the computer line (it of course is still going strong in both software and the iPod).
So, does this presage the renaming of the iMac to just the “Mac”? Not necessarily, but it’s a possibility. The “iMac” name has built up a lot of brand recognition since its introduction almost ten years ago, but originally, as Gruber points out, the “i” stood for Internet. Today, computers without Internet are the anomaly, so the “i” seems redundant. Renaming the computer the “Macintosh” or the “Mac” would be a nice way of tying the product line back in with the original Mac, something I could easily see Steve doing next time the iMac is due for a revision. And, when you think about it, the iMac has plenty in common with the original Mac, the latter being simply an updated model of the former, built on 21st century technology. And with the Intel transition complete, maybe it’s time to shake things up a bit.
Renaming the iMac? While I'm no fan of the "MacBook", "MacBook Pro" and "Mac Pro" names, those I can live with, but just "Mac"? Not only does it sound weird (one product called the same as the whole line of products), but it has built up so much recognition, that even the most hardened Windows user instantly recognises the iMac name. Renaming the iMac sound like a really, really bad move.
Surely Apple's trademark of the word 'pod' doesn't suggest that they are going to drop the 'i' in 'iPod'?!
i HATE the new apple names without the i... of course i didnt know it stands for internet. but i think is a pretty cool way to call it's products and software and i do believe they should have change whatever didn't have the i to having the i... if i was in charge, my new product line would've been:
iMac mini, iMac, iMac pro
iBook, iBook pro
and name every software with the i too, such as iMail and iSearch (for spot light).
but i suppose some people is highly annoyed by the i hahaha this is MY personal opinon.
hate those new names. hate them.
Has anyone checked to see if Apple is trademarking MacDesk? It'd fit perfectly with Mac mini/Book/Pro and suit the product well.
just plain "Mac"
you know we need and want one.
sub MacPro. more than an iMac.
graphics/memory/hd expandability.
no extra PCI and two HD's max.
a single dual would make many prosumers quite happy.
if there were any more products with an "i" stuck in front, we might as well start talking pig-latin.
It doesn't really make sense to do so, becuase of the confusion it would cause.
For example:
Person 1: Hey, I finally made a smart decision and bought a Mac!
Person 2: Awesome, isn't the all-in-one desktop design great!
Person 1: Oh, I didn't know Mac was a computer. I meant that I got a Mac mini.
Person 2: Well that was dumb.