RE: How did Apple ever get away with using that name anyway?
From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.
The name Apple was chosen because the company to beat in the technology industry at the time was Atari, and Apple Computer came before Atari alphabetically and thus also in the phone book.
Another reason was that Steven Jobs had happy memories of working on an Oregon apple farm one summer.
Interesting that Jobs would have been concerned about positioning in the phone book, given that his early efforts in the technology field were devoted to finding ways to steal service from the phone company.
LOL, no. The name Apple came from Steve Jobs stealing it from the Beatles's Apple Records as a calculated PR move precisely because it was so famous and well known.
That's how Jobs rolled - every single time, topped by some sappy soccer-mom cover story that required you to turn yourself into an idiot to accept it.
Oh and by the way, the timing and style of expression and combination of gay plus God of Tim Cooks announcement has absolutely nothing to do with psychologically conflating brand loyalty with centrist votes in the the pending elections, so get that out of your mind.