What’s in a name?!
There’s been some questions posted asking, in essence, "why would you name a technology product BUG!"? I agree it’s sorta counterintuitive so let me explain why we decided to do it. There are three parts to the answer:
Technically speaking, bugs are things that need to be fixed. They are the proverbial moths in the mainframe. Bugs are indicators of areas in a system that need improvement or at least attention. Cast in that light, Bug Labs wants to be a "bug" in the system of consumer electronics. We want to be an agent of change and an indicator that things can, in fact, be different and, in our opinion, better for people.
Literally speaking, bugs (i.e. insects) comprise over 80% of all known species on Earth. That’s a staggering percentage. And, upon further investigation, it becomes clear why. Insects have adapted themselves to an enormous variety of geographic areas and environmental conditions worldwide and have thrived in the process. So what better example could there be for the power of localized, highly personalized and customized innovation (or in this case nature’s way of inventing – evolution)? They are a perfect metaphor for what we’re trying to embody as a company.
Lastly, we think it’s a fun name. And since we’re trying to put some of the fun back into hardware innovation, it feels right 
So while it may strike some as a weird name for a technology company, so far it’s served us well!
November 6th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
heh, dont listen to the engadget groupies. thats what sunk the palm foleo imo.
November 6th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
I’d love to get one of these, they look much more improved than my gumstix.
Can’t wait =-D
November 6th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
The company I work for produces electronic devices for a small niche market. This looks like it could be just what we need. The dev cost is a significant amount of the selling cost, so if this speeds up our development time, it would be brilliant.
We could probably move hundreds of units of this sort of thing annually.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
One issue from the both the Slashdot and Engadget discussions I would really like to see addressed is the price of the main unit and modules.
Price will make or break whether or not I get one, as well as a large percentage of hobbyists. An exact price is not required until the units are for sale, but a price range would sooth a lot of worries of this front.
Name doesn’t matter that much to me, and obviously with the success of the Nintendo Wii, it is not that much to a great many people either.
November 21st, 2007 at 5:04 am
cheap and affordable so that it can reach a critical mass
November 25th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
The main concern I have with “bug” as the name is that it isn’t a good search token. The net community that forms depends on a one-word point to draw together. S60, gmaps, etc.
April 23rd, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Interesting blog post. What would you say was the most important marketing factor?
April 29th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
tom61 said it best. Name didn’t affect the success of the Wii. As long as the product is good, and you can get enough rabid fans… it should sell.
’sides, even if name mattered, ‘Bug’ has a nice feel to it, and understanding the reasoning behind it makes me like it even more.
To Jeremy Dunck’s point: Doesn’t ‘buglabs’ suffice?