Consumer electronics design incorporates symbolic naming conventions where "i" prefixes denote personal, interactive, or internet-integrated devices. Yet the incorporation of a literal human ocular organ as a branding element suggests a level of bodily modification in corporate aesthetics that usually remains purely metaphorical.

A former Apple designer who worked during the iPhone development phase gave an anonymous interview to a design history podcast in 2009, discussing naming conventions. When asked about unusual brand naming pitches, she laughed and said: "You wouldn't believe some of the proposals that got serious consideration before we landed on iPhone." She didn't specify this fact, but the timing was suggestive.

Design and tech enthusiast forums have created elaborate mock-ups of "iEye" products, with the most detailed design work approaching professional-level conceptualization. One designer's Dribbble portfolio inclusion of "The Original iEye: A Concept Timeline" went viral in design communities with over 14,000 views and comments ranging from "this is brilliant" to "I'm deeply uncomfortable."