To President Donald Trump, it was an awkward slip of the tongue. To Apple chief executive Tim Cook, it was an opportunity to poke some sly fun at a president who has often clashed with the tech industry.
A day after Mr Trump mistakenly referred to Mr Cook at a White House meeting as “Tim Apple” — an understandable slip, perhaps, coming from the owner of the Trump Organisation — Mr Cook quietly altered his Twitter profile, replacing his last name with the Apple logo.
Mr Cook did not publicly acknowledge the change, but it did not take long for Apple fans to notice and spread the word.
Non-Apple fans, though, may not get the joke.
Mr Cook’s Apple-logo icon is only visible on iPhones and Mac computers.
Dreamers are our co-workers, friends and neighbors. They contribute to our economy and communities. Their dreams are our dreams. We’re calling on the new Congress to uphold American values and permanently protect the Dreamers.
— Tim (@tim_cook) February 11, 2019
On Windows, it is a blank square; on Android, it renders variously as an X-ed out or blank grey rectangle. (“Tim Square” was probably not the connotation the Apple boss was going for.)
That is not wholly surprising for Apple, which famously prefers its own devices and software over others.
Apple did not respond to a query about the logo misstep (if indeed it was a misstep).
The White House, meanwhile, appears to be engaged in some damage control.
In the official transcript of the meeting , the words “Tim” and “Apple” are separated by a dash as if Mr Trump had paused, possibly to thank both the executive and the company.