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Iphone Apple

iPhoneXsMax, Now That's a Tongue Twister (om.co) 167

Posted by msmash from the what's-in-a-name? dept.
Veteran journalist Om Malik writes: iPhoneXsMax -- When I heard the name and saw it up on the stage, I shuddered. Apple's name for its newest, biggest iPhone made one [Microsoft employee] quip on Twitter: "And I thought we sucked at naming. #AppleEvent iPhone Xs Max September Refresh CTP1"

Microsoft and other technology companies were mocked by Apple veterans for their naming conventions. But now Apple is doing the same -- fighting hard to come up with names that are fighting Samsung, Huawei, and many others when it comes to being tongue twisters. It is pretty sad to see that a company that took pride in its ability to communicate clearly and succinctly about its products, the company that was able to name them with such elan and made them memorable, has come. iPhoneX(s)Max.
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iPhoneXsMax, Now That's a Tongue Twister More

iPhoneXsMax, Now That's a Tongue Twister

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  • Indeed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by American AC in Paris ( 230456 ) on Thursday September 13, 2018 @09:04AM (#57305466) Homepage

    It has a whole zero syllables more than "Galaxy Note 9"

    Great job Apple

    • For that much money I want more syllables!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by berj ( 754323 )

      Indeed. And zero more than iPhone 6 s plus or iPhone 7 plus.

      People will find the stupidest things to complain about.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by ausekilis ( 1513635 )

      Yes, but "Galaxy Note 9" doesn't have the same ring as "iPhone excess Max". The cherry on top would be the "i'm rich" app with the little gem in the task bar.

      Gluttony and Envy are strong in the ranks of technology.

    • I am not getting the point of the article.
      iPhone - 2
      iPhone 3g - 4
      iPhone 4 - 3
      iPhone 5 - 3
      iPhone 5s - 4
      iPhone 6 - 3
      iPhone 6 plus - 4
      iPhone 6s - 4
      iPhone 6s plus - 5
      iPhone 7 - 4
      iPhone 7 plus - 5
      iPhone 8 - 3
      iPhone 8 plus - 4
      iPhone X - 3 ...
      iPhone Xs Max - 5

      for the most part we just call them, "my phone" (2) or iPhone (2)
      We would never just go Let me take out my iPhone Xs Max without sounding like a complete jerk.

      • Now that you've spelled it, I get it. An iPhone X Plus would be an iPhone XP. This is all about Microsoft.

    • While the length isn't good compared to prior iPhone branding, it's the last three syllables being a real tongue twister that's a problem, 'x' is close in pronunciation to 's', and to close, Max of course then ends in 'x'. I take it as a very bad sign of how the company is veering from its long, long history of good branding. Really from the very beginning with the Apple I and Apple ][, names which generally stood out from its competitors back then.

      • While the length isn't good compared to prior iPhone branding, it's the last three syllables being a real tongue twister that's a problem, 'x' is close in pronunciation to 's',

        Only if you have a severe speech impediment is "ten" close in pronunciation to 's'.

        • Only if you have a severe speech impediment is "ten" close in pronunciation to 's'.

          So instead of the iPhone Excess, we have the iPhone Tennis?

          • Only if you have a severe speech impediment is "ten" close in pronunciation to 's'.

            So instead of the iPhone Excess, we have the iPhone Tennis?

            Oh my god, that is so much worse than the Samsung Galaxy ass series.

  • We gave the iPhone Xs to Xzibit so you can phone with your phone while you phone, dawg. Just wait till you see what we do with your keyboard.

  • Pronunciation guide (Score:4, Informative)

    by blkhawk ( 786915 ) on Thursday September 13, 2018 @09:11AM (#57305506) Homepage

    its pronounced as "iPhone Excess" or "iPhone Excess Max".

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by msauve ( 701917 )
      Except "X" here is the roman numeral. It's pronounced "iphone ten s." Too bad, because if they'd named it logically, they could have advertised "these go to eleven!"
      • According to one rumor, Apple was supposed to introduce the iPhone 9 and iPhone 11 on 9/11. That rumor didn't pan out for some reason.

      • Except "X" here is the roman numeral. It's pronounced "iphone ten s." Too bad, because if they'd named it logically, they could have advertised "these go to eleven!"

        So it really was supposed to be called Mac OS 10?

    • No it's not. Watch the keynote, everyone at Apple calls it "iPhone 10 S Max".

      • So I'm still unclear. Are you saying its better to pronounce it "iPhone tennis max" rather than "iPhone excess max?"

        • So I'm still unclear. Are you saying its better to pronounce it "iPhone tennis max" rather than "iPhone excess max?"

          You are supposed to get your dentures fixed, Mr. President.

    • Sing along...

      My iPhone Ex's live in Texas... That's why I hang my hat in Galaxy!
  • A few years ago, the rant was against Android fragmentation. There was just one iPhone, one resolution. Well now that THAT is no longer the case, Apple has tossed it all to the wind and gone to name fragmentation... Can't wait for the iPhone Xs Max SE Plus Rose Gold Special Edition!

    • In fairness, there's still not much fragmentation among iPhones/iPads. The big difference is basically just screen resolution, and the event yesterday suggests they're pushing toward 3 sizes of the same aspect ratio. It's not even clear you need to worry much about the difference between the iPhone X and the iPhone XR, since the XR seems to be similar in size but lower resolution. Your UI elements can just be displayed at a lower resolution.

      But more importantly, there's basically 1 iOS. There are 50 di

    • A few years ago, the rant was against Android fragmentation. There was just one iPhone, one resolution. Well now that THAT is no longer the case, Apple has tossed it all to the wind and gone to name fragmentation... Can't wait for the iPhone Xs Max SE Plus Rose Gold Special Edition!

      Oh look, its LynnwoodRooster, the smartiest pant on Slashdot. Tell me how many Galaxy S III there are. Not all Samsung Galaxy phones, just versions of the S III. Heck, not even the S III mini, just the S III.

  • According to The New York Times [nytimes.com]:

    But this year, that meant calling it the iPhone XS. Never mind that XS is the abbreviation for extra small — not an adjective Apple wants for its $1,000 phones — but say “XS” out loud. In the age of smartphone addiction and devices that cost as much as some refrigerators, “iPhone Excess” may not be great for branding.

    Instead, the new iPhone XS is pronounced “iPhone 10S,” or as the audience at the Apple event quickly realized, “iPhone Tennis.”

    Add the new iPhone XS Max to the mix and you’ve got “iPhone Tennis Match.”

    No comment on the iPhone XR. Maybe the "iPhone Tennis Rogue - Serena Williams Edition"?

    • In the age of smartphone addiction and devices that cost as much as some refrigerators, “iPhone Excess” may not be great for branding.

      It's perfect for branding Apple.

  • More important to complain about small improvement (Score:3)

    by Camembert ( 2891457 ) on Thursday September 13, 2018 @09:19AM (#57305566)
    I find it rather petty to complain about the naming convention, Xs Plus would have been more logical to me, but Xs Max isn't really worse, just different.
    The area that does disappoint me however (and I am a longtime generally happy Apple user), is that even by the incremental improvement standard set by the "s" phone releases, this one does seem a particularly timid nano-incremental improvement. Screen, camera and processing are a bit better, and I think that's about it. Nothing really fresh.
    The Apple Watch v4, now that had an interesting and substantial innovation: the ECG/EKG function in a small device for general consumer use. Now that was cool and points to the future of the Apple watch becoming more and more a complete health monitor / coach.
    Sadly, I didn't see anything fresh like that in the current new phones. The XR could be ok to replace my relatively old 6 Plus for price reasons, but I hope that my current phone holds out another year to see what the next generation brings.
    • I agree. The biggest challenge for me without looking at the specs... which one do i buy, that is to say which one is like the one I have but newer. I had to actually read tech specs and pricing to know. Previous generations this was unnneeded because the naming conventions matched previous generations. I the âoemachine learning coresâ are good if they actually are dedicated for that, which I would doubt. Really the single biggest improvement is all in iOS and some application launch time impr
  • The iPad Mini survived being called the Mini Pad, and the folks who buy the XS are probably proud of their ability to do so. Think birds with huge displays of plumage to attract mates.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by zlives ( 2009072 )

      thats why i just use and iPad PRO as my cell phone, sure i had to had the pant pockets adjusted for size discrepancy, however now I don;t need to remember to bring a grocery bag with me.

  • 1. How bad does Apple have to make the iPhone before people finally just stop buying so many of them?

    2. When will Android manufacturers and Apple stop borrowing the worst things from eachothers designs?

    • as for #2, don't underestimate the marketing wanks that need to justify their existence. their influence (and effluence) is a major building block of our society. There is big money in copying instead of innovating, spin, lies and blowing sunshine up peoples' asses

    • 1. How bad does Apple have to make the iPhone before people finally just stop buying so many of them?

      A lot worse. Apple would really have to shit the bed with a big quality problem or security issue and even then they might still survive one bad product cycle. As long as they remain technologically competitive at a price point people are willing to pay then Apple is going to continue to sell huge numbers. They don't have to lead the pack on features and given the volumes they sell they probably couldn't. The bigger risk is that they fail to continue to improve the devices enough to convince people to "

  • Still better... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by SharpFang ( 651121 ) on Thursday September 13, 2018 @09:26AM (#57305616) Homepage Journal

    Still better if the manufacturer has too few words to compose names and uses them ALL. Especially when looking for the firmware for *your* model...

    Sony Xperia Pro
    Sony Xperia Mini
    Sony Xperia Mini Pro
    Sony Xperia X10 Mini
    Sony Xperia X10 Pro
    Sony Xperia X10 Mini Pro

    Xiaomi Mi 5
    Xiaomi Mi 5s
    Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
    Xiaomi Mi 5X
    Xiaomi Redmi 5
    Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
    Xiaomi Redmi 5A
    Xiaomi Note 5A
    Xiaomi Redmi Note 5
    Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
    Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mccalli ( 323026 )
      It might be, but Apple used to compare themselves to themselves. They used to be better than this at naming.

  • See how that works.

  • In terms of how to convince people to justifying paying $1100+ for a Smartphone. Apple's strategy? Use lots of "best", "awesome", fastest", "cool" adjectives during their presentations.

  • Cars seem like they have it figured out. You have model year, make and mfg. The rest of the options matter only on resale, insurance or maintenance.

    I may buy a 2019 Honda Soulless Touring Elite, and I'm paying a bit because I'm buying the very latest model with the latest features, but after I buy it, it's just my Soulless. The same for my iPhone, the most important part is that it's an iPhone, that says a lot about what it is and can or can't do. The rest is just speaking to features and profile, which fo

    • Cars seem like they have it figured out. You have model year, make and mfg. The rest of the options matter only on resale, insurance or maintenance.

      I may buy a 2019 Honda Soulless Touring Elite, and I'm paying a bit because I'm buying the very latest model with the latest features, but after I buy it, it's just my Soulless.

      Cough. Honda Civic. Sedan, Coupe, or Hatchback? LX, LX-P, EX-T, EX-L, or Touring?

  • Let's just call it "maximum excess" and be done with. Because it's what it is.
  • lim t -> oo ( Apple ) = Microsoft

  • [Microsoft employee] quip on Twitter: "And I thought we sucked at naming. #AppleEvent iPhone Xs Max September Refresh CTP1"

    Right, this is wildly different and much worse than a name like Xbox One X.

  • Who gives a fsck?

  • It’s not hard to say "ten smacks"

  • iPhone Ten Ess Max. What's so hard? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate the name, but if you have trouble saying that you might have had a mild stroke.

  • Then X3,X4,X5, zero, legends, battle network..

  • Why Does A Name Matter? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by WankerWeasel ( 875277 ) on Thursday September 13, 2018 @11:00AM (#57306558)
    I find myself saying the name of my phone a whole zero times daily. I'm far more concerned about things like the actual functionality of a phone than the name. If it does what I need it to do, they can name it whatever they like and it really doesn't matter one bit to me.

    • I find myself saying the name of my phone a whole zero times daily.

      No, but I bet you you googled the damn thing before you bought it. Names convey meaning, they always have. Product names most definitely do matter in that regard.

    • I have a similar viewpoint though I prefer to put "value" at the forefront as opposed to "functionality". Placing "functionality" at the forefront can put you on a wasteful upgrade schedule where you're paying a lot for "functionality" with very little added "value".

      With all of that in mind, I really feel that "iPhone Excess Max" is very appropriate though "iPhone Maximum Excess" would have been even better.

  • There will obviously be plays on words, as the new phones roll out. Xs = Excessively costly, etc. etc.

    And admittedly it's a bit difficult spitting out "iPhone Xs Max". But what usually happens is people shorten up the names to whatever they find comfortable. Pretty sure the new iPhones will start getting called either an Xs or a "Max"?

    At least with Apple, you don't have the problem of them making dozens of variations of a phone for different pre-paid carriers to sell. I can't even remember what the name

  • [Microsoft employee] quip on Twitter: "And I thought we sucked at naming. #AppleEvent iPhone Xs Max September Refresh CTP1"

    So basically, this guy admitted that Microsoft sucks at naming.

    But yes, "iPhone X [s] Max" is a terrible name. Apple painted themselves into a corner by naming last year's model "iPhone X". And then they doubled down on the stupid by going with "Max" instead of "Plus" like the previous years.

  • I was thinking about this yesterday. The phone has become so ubiquitous that almost nobody thinks of their phone's model name / number. It takes me a moment to recall the specific generation / variant I own because it is so constantly referred to as just "iPhone" or "my iPhone". For any phone. The real factor remains "Android" or "iPhone", most details after that are secondary to 99% of the conversations I have about smartphones.

    Perhaps the names are getting so specific because the differentiation betwe

  • iPad, iPad 2, iPad, iPad Mini, iPad, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPad Air 2, iPad Min 3, iPad Mini 4, iPad Pro, iPad, iPad Pro

    • Didn't you forget "The New iPad"? AFAIK it was the official name.

      Apart from that, at least for a while they did follow the 1/2/3/4 naming convention. The Air thing was to differenciate between previous and newer generations and the mini/pro is/was to differenciate between sizes.

  • Like the company that produced the iPhone smartphone without 3G at a time when 3G was being quickly adopted, that proceeded to produce the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS shortly after, and when the world started quickly adopting 4G they produced the iPhone 4 and 4S both of which didn't have any extra GS despite claiming to be cutting edge.

  • Problem solved.

    It also comes in cooler colors

  • Far worse that the name of the phone. Glasshouses, stones>
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • âoeiPhone Ten Ess Maxâ is a tongue twister?! Whatâ(TM)s got your tongue tied in a knot?

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