Twitter ejects Apple username squatter, reserves it for Cupertino’s use

Apple tends to focus its energies to making news and product announcements on its websites, but they’ve been experimenting a bit lately with integrating their PR machine with social media… mostly by putting up official iPad videos on their own YouTube channel, as well as pushing word of new Quicktime trailers through Twitter.

But 9to5Mac just noticed something interesting that may hint at Apple’s future plans for the popular Twitter micro-blogging service. Over a year ago, someone took over the twitter.com/Apple username… but now, in the wake of the iPad announcement (in which the iPad out-tweeted Obama’s state of the union address), it looks like that squatter’s been evicted.

Even better? You can’t sign up as Apple. This isn’t just a case of an account name being deleted: Twitter is clearly reserving the Apple account for Cupertino.

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Of course, this could just be on Twitter’s own initiative, but it makes sense: Apple surely knows that Twitter is an amazing marketing and branding tool, and they’re presence on the site can only amplify the buzz about their company.

8 comments »

About the author

John Brownlee is news editor here at Cult of Mac, and has also written about a lot of things for a lot of different places, including Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker, AMC, Geek and the Consumerist. He lives in Cambridge with his charming inamorata and a tiny budgerigar punningly christened after Nabokov's most famous pervert. You can follow him here on Twitter.

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http://outsidethecookiecutter.blogspot.com/ Jaime Rivera
It makes sense for the username to be reserved for Apple. What doesn’t make sense is for Apple to not use it yet. How can a technology company not tweet in this day and age?
Oh… sorry to be the one to point it out… it’s not “they’re presence on the site” but “their presence on the site”. Common mistake.
Jm
Twitter usernames are locked if you don’t switch away from them before you delete an account. So it could still be under the control of the original account holder.
http://www.toxicspark.com Andrew Macdonald
I agree with Jaime’s comment.
Why arent Apple on Twitter already, when companies like Dell are using twitter very effectively, and driving millions of additional pounds in sales per year via the service?
It really does surprise me that a company like Apple, with their vast marketing an PR departments arent using twitter yet.
Helvetican
What’s Apple going to tweet? Tweet about daily updates on their secret projects? LOL.
http://www.theusesofliteracy.com duncan
Dell are generating millions of pounds of additional sales because they ‘tweet’? I think you are deluded Andrew.
I would have more respect for Apple if they refused to use Twitter…
Lonnie Lazar
I’m tempted to be a grammar dick, but I won’t be. I’m sure it’s just a typo.
http://www.erikfolgate.com Erik
I can’t believe Apple is just now getting onto the social media bandwagon. I guess they don’t need extra PR help when we salivate like dogs over every product announcement they make. We do all of the leg work for them.
http://www.goldenkeymanagement.com/ Dominican Republic Villas
I agree with Jaime and Andrew
Why arent Apple on Twitter already, when companies like Dell are using twitter very effectively, and driving millions of additional pounds in sales per year via the service?
It really does surprise me that a company like Apple, with their vast marketing an PR departments arent using twitter yet.