iPhone 4.0 is apparently known within the walls of Apple’s Cupertino HQ as Mammoth. That got us thinking about gadget codenames. Do the pseudonyms manufacturers slap on their secret tech live up to the products that finally emerge? Read on for our take on four of history’s most intriguing gadget codenames including iPhone 4.0’s prehistoric placeholder…
Nintendo Revolution
Before it became the Nintendo Wii, the motion controlled console was known as the Nintendo Revolution. Explaining why it ditched the original name, Nintendo America president Reggie Fils-Aime said: “Revolution is not ideal, it’s long and in some cultures, it’s hard to pronounce.” Wii seemed custom built for juvenile puns but it turned out to be revolutionary in the end – just look at Microsoft and Sony chasing their own motion sensing successes with Natal and the Playstation Move.
Project Natal
Natal hasn’t actually nabbed a final name yet but we’re set to see it unveiled at E3 in a few weeks. Microsoft has a history of using cities as codenames (Natal is on the coast of Brazil) but this time it also packed in a double meaning. Natal also mean “relating to birth” and Microsoft is hoping it will be “the birth of the next generation of home entertainment.” We think it might just be right but let’s hope Natal is less troublesome than a baby, we don’t want it messing up our carpets or drawing on the walls.
Project Needlemouse
Sonic 4 is about bringing the high speed hedgehog back to his 2D platforming roots so Project Needlemouse was pretty much the perfect codename. Mr Needlemouse was what Naoto Oshima originally called the character when he presented the concept to Sega. Needlemouse is a direct translation of the Japanese word for hedgehog but makes our hero sound less friendly and more like the lead in a woodland remake of Saw.
Mammoth
The iPhone 4.0 codename seems very appropriate. There’s been mammoth interest around the new iPhone but it’s also caused Apple mammoth headaches with multiple iPhone 4.0 leaks spoiling the surprise. And with Android on the rise, it’s a risky name to plump for. While the iPhone is a big beast just like the wooly mammoth, its namesake is long extinct. On the other hand Apple could simply be going for the same effect as the HTC Incredible, picking the biggest superlative possible.
Let us know: what do you make of iPhone 4.0’s Mammoth code name? Will it be a beautiful beast or end up as a forgotten fossil?
Due TBC | £TBC | Apple
