A contentious debate is brewing in Cupertino. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller on Friday took to Twitter to inform tech plebes that Apple devices should never be pluralized, a stance in diametric opposition to beliefs held by CEO Tim Cook.
According to Schiller, multiple Apple products should be referred to without pluralization, for example the plural of "iPhone" is "iPhone" or "iPhone devices." It seems years of rampant misuse have taken their toll, finally and absolutely corroding the exec's resolve to maintain an amiable public persona.
"It would be proper to say 'I have 3 Macintosh' or 'I have 3 Macintosh computers,'" Schiller said, teetering on the edge of despair.
The definitive exposition came in response to a tweet by Andreessen Horowitz partner, analyst and longtime Apple terminology truther Benedict Evans, who earlier in the day referenced "iPads Pro." An honest, albeit fatal, mistake. Or was it?
During Apple's most recent quarterly earnings conference call, Cook is clearly heard borrowing taboo phraseology, notably "iPhones" and "iPad Pros." So did CFO Luca Maestri, but his statements had the stink of fear. After all, Maestri was staring down a steely-eyed, pluralizing madman just across the table (at the time Cook was wearing his necklace of Android earpieces, a macabre trophy of war).
Evans' tweet was brought to Schiller's attention by longtime industry analyst turned Apple marketing director turned analyst Michael Gartenberg. Whether Gartenberg's posture on singular/plural nouns played a role in his departure from the company earlier this year is unclear.
At Apple, there is obvious dissension among the ranks. How far the rift runs no one knows, but battle lines are being drawn in the silicate.
As of this writing, Schiller's most recent tweet reads, "It's all fun until someone gets hurt," a telltale allusion to what must be roiling internal conflict. A winking smiley face was added for ironic — and utterly depressing — effect.
52 Comments
Well, when referring to a trademarked thing, the correct usage of the name by the company is important. Trademarks can be devalued and lost due to popular usage. Examples:
By not reinforcing the proper trademark, popular use will damage the brand name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_trademark
I am siding with Tim Cook on this one.
Let's say that I am asking my friend how many iPads they own. Which of these am I going to choose?
(1) How many iPad do you own?
(2) How many iPad devices do you own?
(3) How many iPads do you own?
I am obviously choosing #3, as that makes most sense, it's most logical, and anybody opting for #1 or #2 is just somebody who obviously must have various issues, hopefully none too serious.
I am sorry, but saying "I have 3 Macintosh" just sounds semi-retarded, and I will have no part of it.
Wow, what tough problems to have. I think I'd be happy people are buying them in plurals. Much better to sell iPhones than it is to sell an iPhone. I love the guys in charge at Apple, but maybe find something worth fighting over, like I don't know, maybe product design and new stuff.
This plurality preference of Schiller's holds true easily for Microsoft in regard to Windows Mobile. "At Microsoft, we sell Windows Mobile Phone daily"