Code Names
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Apple has a long history of using code names to refer to unreleased products. The purpose of these names varies from project to project. For some projects, the code name is a placeholder for a name that marketing hasn't invented yet. In other cases, the code names are used to help keep projects secret. Projects are generally named by the lead engineer or manager responsible for the project. Some projects have more than one code name. The names may be used for different parts of a project (one for the software, another for the hardware, and so on), or they may be used to deliberately confuse outsiders. In fact, different names are sometimes used when talking to different people so that press leaks can be tracked back to their source. Past and Present Code Names
It's not unusual for Apple's code names to survive the development process and become the product's real name. "Macintosh" and "Lisa" were both code names before they became the real names of the products to which they refer. In Apple's early days, many codenames were female names; the names of the children, wives, or girlfriends of the engineers working on the project. A classic example is Lisa, rumored to be named after Steve Jobs' daughter. The names of apple varieties are also frequent candidates for use as code names. Macintosh, Pippen, and Jonathan all fall into this category.
See Also
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