iPhone, iMac, iPod - Any and every apple product comes with a name starting with an "i". Ever wondered what made Apple so in love with "i" and not any other letter?

Where did Apple get the idea to start naming their products with something that is seemingly unrelated but would go on to become so addictive among the masses? Well the story goes like this - When the iMac was first debuted in 1998 by Apple's co-founder and then CEO Steve Jobs, he said -

"iMac" is the marriage of the simplicity of Macintosh with the excitement of the internet.

iMac paid much attention to user connectivity and only 2 steps were needed by it's users to connect to the internet. "There is no step3" was the slogan. And the "i" originated from internet which was part of iMac's "Out of the box" experience.

From "i of the apple" to "apple of the i"

There was more to the "i" that really made Steve Jobs go for it rather than "e" which was the standard for internet related stuff. Legend has it that Steve thought of "i" more to mean -

• individual - refers to the personal nature of iMac.
• inspire - be of outstanding quality inspiring others.
• instruct - the learning side of computer.
• inform - resourceful medium of information.

Each of these were apt qualities that made iMac proudly stand out among its peers. And with the humungous success of the iMac, Apple began its tradition to name any of their product starting with "i". Surprisingly "i" in today's world has an entirely different brand value altogether. Almost any device with an "i" comes with a steeper price tag and is perceived to be of superior quality and more of a luxury item.

Finally here's a video of Steve Job's indroducing iMac to the world for the fist time.