Should an editor write two iPhone, two iPhones, or two iPhone devices? The answer depends on the kind of rule being applied. Apple’s trademark guidance protects a brand form. French language guidance explains how a product name derived from a trademark behaves. Everyday English often treats product names like countable nouns. A style guide should choose deliberately rather than pretend those contexts are identical.
In brief
- Apple asks writers to treat iPhone as an adjective and not make the trademark plural or possessive.
- The Académie française recommends an invariable capitalized product name while it retains trademark status.
- Trademark symbols and attribution notices depend on whether a publication is distributed inside or outside the United States.
Apple’s brand-safe rule
Apple lists iPhone as a trademark and suggests the generic term mobile digital device. Its trademark page states that trademarks function as adjectives and should not be made plural or possessive. It also asks publications to include an appropriate generic term after a trademark on first use and to repeat that generic term often enough to keep the trademark role clear.
Under that rule, write two iPhone devices, several iPhone models, or the cameras in these iPhone devices. The generic noun carries the plural. The mark keeps its exact capitalization and spelling.
This approach is the safest choice for marketing copy, partner material, product documentation, legal pages, and any publication that has agreed to follow Apple’s brand rules.
What French guidance adds
The Académie française answers the specific question of the plural of iPhone through a broader rule. When an everyday product takes its name from a trademark and the name retains its status as a proper name, it remains capitalized and invariable. The examples given include two Abribus and a roll of Scotch.
When a former brand name becomes a fully common noun, the treatment can change: it loses the capital and takes an ordinary plural. The Académie cites words such as diesels and klaxons. Its distinction is therefore not based only on frequency. The question is whether the term is still being used as a protected or identifiable product name, or has become a lexicalized common noun.
For French copy about Apple phones, des iPhone follows that recommendation. A clearer alternative is des téléphones iPhone or plusieurs modèles d’iPhone, depending on the sentence.
Publication territory changes the attribution
Apple distinguishes publications distributed only in the United States from publications distributed elsewhere. For United States material, it asks for the appropriate trademark symbol on first use. Outside the United States, it says not to use those symbols and instead requests an attribution notice identifying Apple and iPhone as trademarks of Apple Inc.
This territorial rule is separate from grammar. It affects the symbol and credit line, while the adjective rule governs how the trademark sits beside a generic noun. Editors should therefore record both the language of the text and the territory in which it will be distributed.
A practical house style
- Brand, marketing, and legal English: write iPhone devices or iPhone models.
- International English: keep iPhone unchanged and use an appropriate generic noun such as devices or models.
- French: prefer des iPhone, or use des téléphones iPhone when the sentence benefits from an explicit generic noun.
- Possession: avoid forcing a possessive mark onto the trademark. Write the camera of the iPhone device or the device’s camera.
- Model names: keep the official order and capitalization, then pluralize the generic noun: two iPhone Pro models.
Examples for editors
Brand-safe: We tested three iPhone devices. The cameras in those iPhone models produced similar colors.
French: Nous avons comparé trois iPhone. Les appareils testés appartiennent à deux générations.
Clear technical wording: This accessory supports several iPhone models. That sentence avoids any dispute about the plural while telling the reader exactly what varies.
Avoid: Iphone, IPHONE, iPhone’s as a plural, or altered spellings intended to make the mark fit the sentence. Capitalization is part of the product name.
The answer in one line
If you need one rule that travels well across brand and technical contexts, use iPhone devices in English and des iPhone in French. The generic English noun carries the number, while the French product name remains capitalized and invariable under the Académie’s stated rule.
Apple also asks for the generic term to reappear frequently after first use. That practice keeps the trademark role visible throughout longer technical copy.
The Geek Culture section contains more editorial guides to names, trademarks, and technology language. Browse the related section.
Method note
This guide separates Apple’s instructions for using its trademarks from the Académie française’s linguistic answer. It does not treat a corporate preference as a universal grammar law.
Sources
- Pluriel du mot iPhone, Académie française.
- Apple trademark usage guidance, Apple Legal.
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