Over the years, Apple has built a juggernaut of a brand that positions its products at the center of everyday consumers’ digital lives. It all began with an explosion of translucent candy plastic in 1998 with the release of the first iMac. iMovie showed up the next year, followed by iTunes and the iPod in 2001. The iTrain hasn’t stopped since, with most consumer-aimed offerings from Jobs’ cool-factory bearing the prefixed i.
Starting any word you please with a particular lowercase letter is not a registerable trademark. And so came the imitators, seeking to capitalize on the indefatigable momentum of the 21st century’s alphabetical dernier cri. They’re everywhere. An in-classroom digital response system from MacMillan called the iClicker. An interactive shop-window touchscreen foil technology called iWindow. Even our own wine show produced in partnership with the iYellow Wine Club.
