Posted on 01/21/2010 3:37:37 AM PST by Swordmaker
With rumours still flying left and right as we close in to Apples expected Tablet announcement next Wednesday, perhaps the most sought-after missing piece is still its name. Could it be iGuide, or iSlate?
Maybe but it looks like iPad is definitely a strong contender as well, according to the Mac News Network. Apple has filed for a trademark on that name in Canada, Europe, and Hong Kong, but in the U.S. that trademark is already tied up by Fujitsu. The Japanese corporation has an existing product using that name: a handheld device used by workers in retail.
Yet while Fujitsu first filed for the trademark in 2003, at some point they stopped responding to the US Patent and Trademark Offices requests for additional information. The USPTO never awarded the official trademark and ended up declaring the name abandoned in April 2009.
Although Fujitsu began pursuing the iPad trademark again last June, Apple has reportedly filed at least three requests to extend the deadline for presenting opposition to Fujitsus claim. The company now has until February 28 to submit evidence, potentially positioning itself as the rightful owner of the iPad trademark. Launching an actual product under the iPad name before that date may strengthen Apples legal claim to the mark, leading to logical speculation that iPad is the chosen forerunner for the tablets name.
Whats your favorite name for the still-mythical Apple Tablet? Place your bets now, people!
iPad?
iPad... sounds too much like a product that is used exclusively by women. :/
I often wondered why such an obvious name and pun was not, er, obvious... the Apple iPad...
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Those people at Apple have thought of everything. I, for one, plan to use the iPad every 28 days. Maybe I will be smarter instead of angrier during my special time. My husband will be relieved.
ROFL!
I dunno...
I think there is too much chance for low humor with that name.
iSlate would probably be better. Maybe they should just abandon the ‘i’ and call it the Mac-Tab
Makes sense. The little data pads in StarTrek were called PADDs; Apple already has an iPod, iPhone.... iPad would maintain the iP naming convention, and it sounds better than iSlate, iGuide, or any of the other monikers being bandied about.
Apple has a big media event to announce a new product scheduled for the 27, a week from yesterday. This filing is right in line with their usual methods of waiting until the last second to tip their hand. The rumor mills have been saying for years an apple tablet was in the works but this time around they seem pretty solid.
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