Expert breaks down the reason why the Apple Watch wasn't named iWatch

Apple-branded products usually follow the same pattern: iPhone, iPad, iMac...

So, why wasn't the Apple Watch called iWatch?

YouTube channel Apple Explained showed the interview between host David Rubenstein and Apple CEO Tim Cook where the conversation was had.

'It was something we thought of at the time,' Cook replied when asked why the iWatch wasn't the actual name.

Then, when asked how the name Apple Watch won, Cook said: 'I kinda like Apple Watch.'

Which is all good and well but quite vague for being the determining factor of the name. And considering the amount of thought Apple puts into its product names, this can't be the full story.

And it turns out it isn't.

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According to Apple Explained, the real reason Apple went with the Apple Watch is due to legal issues with the name iWatch.

'Back when the product [Apple Watch] was being developed, Apple ran into some legal issues when trademarking the name iWatch.'

At the time, the trademark for iWatch was already taken by not one, but three different companies.

One was a US company called OMG Electronics, the second was a software developer in Ireland who registered the name across the EU, and the third was an undisclosed company in China.

So, if Apple had insisted on using the name iWatch, it would have had to 'deal with expensive trademark disputes in each of those regions.'

This kind of trademark problem isn’t new for Apple.

For example, the branded name 'iPhone' was already trademarked by Cisco before the product's release, so Apple had to pay them an undisclosed amount for the rights.

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They also paid $60 million to a company called ProView in China to secure the name 'iPad.'

To avoid such lawsuits, the billion-dollar company tried to trademark the 'i' prefix in 2010 but lost the case because no one could own the letter 'i'.

In the end, Apple chose to go with a name they already owned: Apple. Hence, Apple Watch.

'That way, no other company could legally claim it,' the video explained.

This already had to be done with the Apple TV in 2006, because the company tried to claim rights to 'iTV'. But it was already claimed as a public broadcast network in the UK.

So, whilst Apple Watch might not be as catchy as iWatch, it likely saved Apple from more legal headaches.