Apple: What’s in a name?

It’s not all that usual for companies in the high-tech arena to change their name. But yesterday’s news that Apple Computer wanted to be known simply as Apple or Apple, Inc. has caused somewhat of a stir. The name change is merely a refection of the fact that Apple wants to be an entertainment company not a computer firm. The other interesting naming convention that apparently isn’t settled is Apple’s iPhone moniker. Cisco owns that name and has said it is in negotiations with Apple for it to license the name. But apparently no formal agreement has yet to emerge.