Never again will we make fun of the iPhone's name

Yes, it turns out that even Apple had a few dud names in the bag before settling on the iPhone.

Apple's former head of advertising, Ken Segall, told an audience at the University of Arizona's Department of Marketing that they wrestled with several naff ideas.

Mobi, TriPod, TelePod and, strangely, iPad, were all up for consideration for Apple's first phone - we can see why they didn't make the cut.

The fastest, most powerful Mobi yet

"Dude, check out the new TelePod," doesn't quite have the same ring to it, even if it does combine the device's key elements – telephone and iPod.

The TriPod, on the other hand, was a nifty way of communicating the added internet capabilities, though also sounds like we'd be emailing on some sort of, well, tripod.

The fact Apple pondered on iPad is particularly interesting, especially as the Cupertino company was working on what became the real iPad before their flagship phone came along.

Is there an alternative universe where we're tapping away on our TriPod Minis right now? It doesn't bear thinking about.

From 9to5Mac