We love rumors concerning the next iPhone and cherry-pick them carefully – and purely for the sake of discussion. These stories also prompt some of our readers to argue in comments that we here at iDB, as well as other media outlets, stubbornly insist on calling it the iPhone 5 even though it’s the sixth model in the series.
The debate has become a tradition of sorts. Of course, we encourage and very much appreciate your views on the subject. Adding fuel to the already heated discussion, it has come to our attention that Apple filed a dispute claim with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) over the iPhone5.com domain.
Now, Apple frequently files such claims and in some instances even buys domain names, especially some forwarding to shady sites. But don’t read too much into this latest domain dispute. Per conventional wisdom, the next iPhone is likely be referred to as the new iPhone…
Fusible first spotted Apple’s dispute claim (and MacRumors relayed it), which was published on WIPO’s website earlier this week.
The article explains:
Although Apple has been known to open its wallet to acquire domain names, in the past year it has selected to go the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) route.
And it’s had a lot of success.
The company secured rights to iphone4s.com, iphoneporn4s.com, iphonesex4s.com, iphonexxxforce.com, iphone4s.com and other domains that were being used by an adult website operator, after filing a similar dispute with WIPO.
In years past, Apple won disputes over domains such as applesales.com, appleproductsonline.com, appleipods.com, ipods.com, iPhone4.com and WhiteiPhone.com.
Interesting enough, it was only after the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S had hit the market that Apple paid an undisclosed sum to gain control over the iPhone4.com and WhiteiPhone.com domains because they redirected visitors to pornography sites.
As for the iPhone5.com domain, it’s no surprise Apple is seeking to gain ownership. For years, Apple’s been spending a portion of its marketing dollars toward actively promoting its gadgets on the web.
The company is also known for fighting cunning web ‘entrepreneurs’ that steal its customers and tarnish the Apple brand by serving a bunch of outgoing links, ads and explicit content hosted on domains which contain Apple product names.
In contrast, navigating to any of the Apple-owned domains simply redirects users to the appropriate sections on the Apple homepage. However, this latest dispute claim in no way asserts the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 5.
Rather, it serves to indicate Apple has recognized visibility of the media-coined iPhone 5 moniker, even more so now that it’s gearing up to launch the handset later this year.
As for the device, I think we can safely assume they’re gonna call it simply the new iPhone, much like the iPad 3 became the new iPad.
After all, the iMac is called the iMac, not the iMac 4, 5, 6 and so forth.
In fact, the iPhone is the only Apple product to use the numerical naming scheme so Apple would be wise to abandon the practice.
Your take? Are they gonna call it the iPhone 5, the new iPhone or something else?
Meet us in comments.
The above Liquidmetal iPhone 5 concept is credited to French designer Antoine Brieux