Is Apple quietly changing the "iPhone 3G S" to the "iPhone 3GS" ?

Seth Weintraub
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June 22, 2009
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"iPhone 3G S" is an uncharacteristically awkward name for an Apple product.  Do you pause between the G and the S?  How do you make it plural?  Is it iPhones 3G S iPhone 3Gs S or.. you get the picture.   In the logo, there is also the question of whether or not the "S" is capitalized (it is certainly smaller), or is it lower case like the iPod touch.

In today's Apple press release, Apple switched up the language and is now calling the hit device the "iPhone 3GS".

While these types of small changes may seem trivial, companies with strong brands spend countless hours mulling over every minute detail of naming, fonts, sizes and such.  Switching the iPhone 3G S to iPhone 3GS is a big deal, perhaps one that Mr. Jobs, who made his first comments on the release in 6 months, spearheaded.

 

We'll start using iPhone 3GS from now on unless something changes.

 

Comments (31)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 10:09pm

i guess it's safe to say you haven't seen the side by side pics of the circuitry in the iphone 3g and 3gs, because if you had you'd have noticed it is a pretty major hardware revision, despite the shell staying the same. most people complain when manufacturers (especially apple) make cosmetic changes to sell new products, but now i suppose we can reverse that and complain that apple has changed everything that matters WITHOUT the superficial cosmetic changes. lovely, can't please everyone all the time.

you're assumption that this release was "quick" just to make some easy money is completely off the mark. i expect the next hardware revision to be less revolutionary than this one, and focus mainly on cosmetic changes combined with possibly a more substantial software evolution.

PeterZ (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 8:17am

Clearly you haven't been anywhere near the product because its the most significant iPhone upgrade yet. Not just because its the 3rd Gen. Because they MADE it much better.

LMFAO@ people who think no case redesign every year = no change.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 12:48pm

For real? Is that important? I guess there was anything to report about Apple.
How about all the problems with the last update 3.0?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 12:53pm

problems?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 1:19pm

no problems here

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 6:23pm

You just need to go to some Apple forums and you will see. I am having a problem, and it is driving me crazy. Tomorrow appointment with the Genius Bar.
I am just glad that there are a lot of people with similar problems.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 8:47pm

Well, apparently I was right. They told me at the genius bar that there was a problem with the battery, and that maybe some glitch through the 3.0 could have caused it. That is why a like this company, the customer service is amazingly good.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 1:08pm

back in the day, I had an apple IIgs. maybe this change is a link to the past?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 1:17pm

They also went back and revised all of their previous press releases about the 3GS to remove the space.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 1:30pm

Steve is back baby! :p

Jeepboy (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 1:23pm

No problems here with iPhone OS 3.0. Love it! Thank you, Apple!

Gazoobee (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 1:37pm

There are some problems with the 30 software on the old hardware that don't show themselves on the 3Gs. Many times the swipe to open the home screen just doesn't work for instance. Also some very large pauses sometimes. I know at lest a few people besides me that have experienced this, but it's likely just because the 3G is trying to do stuff with half the processor speed of the 3Gs.

9to5Mac Noob | June 22, 2009 - 2:22pm

Been using iPhone 3G ⓢ myself. Pretty close for little work ;).

ses (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 3:15pm

This is actually an issue to care about? Who says 3G (pause) S? or 3Gs S for plural, for that matter?

I mean, the Apple III was written Apple///. Did people say Apple Slash Slash Slash?

Silly.

Matt (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 3:57pm

That's great, but can Apple some how stop people from using "iTouch" to describe the iPod touch?

DCJ001 (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 4:12pm

It's not an iTouch, or an iPod touch, but an iPod Touch!

Get yourself together.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 9:35pm

its a lower case t

Matt (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 9:06am

Haha, FAIL.

Dizzy D (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 4:18pm

The S is for Snappy!

ben (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 4:24pm

who cares? "Switching the iPhone 3G S to iPhone 3GS is a big deal"
I hope that's a joke

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 4:35pm

Wahtever you do don't call it an iTouch. Apple has speicifc docs outlined for developers as to what they can and can't call their products. "Do not call the App Store the iPhone App Store, only call it the App Store." etc. Too bad iPhone 3GS isn't catchy anyway, should have been iPhone video.

ses (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 8:47pm

Like Apple's marketing dept. really knows what they're talking about when they put forth that edict.

i mean, geez, what application do I open to get to the App Store? iTunes. What's "tunes" got to do with it?

They're just silly.

bdawg (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 12:28am

The App Store is its own application, it's not within iTunes. Get your shit right.

ses (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 2:53pm

Can't seem to find the App Store icon on my desktop.

Of course, on the iPhone it is its own app, but I was referring to iTunes on the computer. To get to the App Store I must run iTunes.

My shit's straight enough, thank you very much.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 22, 2009 - 7:59pm

Beejive im ur update does not work !!! Work really kick ass

Marta (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 3:59am

The same day a new iPhone comes out, it is already outdated.

Olternaut (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 6:19am

Was this really important enough to rate a blog post?
"3Gs" or "3G S".........really?

How about some actual news? Isn't anyone working on learning about some tablet rumors or leaks?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 6:58am

Awesome news !

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 7:01am

Nice way to manufacture a story. If you look at the initial press release, they refer to it that way as well. :rolls eyes:

blued888 (not verified) | June 23, 2009 - 7:41am

I too, was surprised with the sudden change in naming convention. I guess we'll have to stick with 3GS from now on.