[ZeroGravitas]

When did all this whatever-Killer stuff start anyway? I'm not sure I've heard it in any other context than Apple's portable products e.g. iMac-killer, Wii-Killer, netbook-killer, Windows-killer, IE-killer, Ubuntu-killer, x86-killer or whatever don't seem to ring true to me even if they've dominated mindshare (in various markets, for various lengths of time). In general, why would you want to "kill" them, rather than say outsell them or offer better specs at a lower price? Seems very wierd and macho. Do any actual company representatives use this language, or is it just gadget blogs?

This is the oldest entry a quick google returns, was he copying an earlier snowclone?

"Creative unveils potential iPod killer"

http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2002/10/1152.ars

To add further confusion, I wouldn't assume that a Register headline to be without snark, and similarly I've lately seen iPad-killer used as a sarcastic insult, with the implicit assumption that it will fail.

[pavlov]

"X killer" goes as far back as the PC revolution, at least.

Google finds examples of Digital Research's GEM window environment being hailed as the Mac killer. This was back in 1985.

Searching for "IBM killer" finds references to the Digital VAX 9000, a failed minicomputer model that tried to beat IBM mainframes at their game.

[tedunangst]

Sprint most definitely marketed the Instinct as an "iPhone killer", those were the words that appeared in the commercial. ARM chips are sometimes referred to as x86 killers.

Outselling implies that you are simply different. Killing implies that you have redefined the market by your awesomeness.