Apple launched their latest refresh of iPad today on 7 March 2012 (technically, it’s already 8 March here in Australia). Along with new iTunes, new iOS, new iWorks update, suddenly millions of people downloading a lot of data from the internet, resulting some slowing down connection here, at least within few hours after Apple event. After weeks and months of rumors, we finally have an actual product now, and I believe millions of people is already submitting their pre-orders by now.
Hundreds (maybe thousands) of blogs and forums suddenly have a grand new topic of discussion : the name. I have read many posts saying that the name of today’s iPad is “New iPad”.
This name, if true, is of course somewhat ridiculous. It may be new today, but it won’t be new anymore in the next few months, and definitely not new when Apple launched their next refresh in 2013. A lot of comments have predicted the name of the next iPhone : “new iPhone”. Some others argue that the name will create confusion. But is it really the case?
I have a different theory. We are so accustomed with the name of iPhone that changes every year, then we started to expect that every year’s product must have a new fancy name.
But if we look closely, not all Apple products have different name every year. We have iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini. Generally those products are refreshed every one (or two) years and their name remains the same. We never heard of Mac Mini 1, Mac Mini 2, Mac Mini 2S. They’re simply Mac Mini. And for several years, buyers are fine with that. Not much confusion as far as I have heard of.
Even one of Apple’s mobile gadget : iPod touch, is also not named differently. Every year, it appears as iPod touch. Simple. When selling or discussing, people refer it as iPod touch X gen to differentiate from others, and so people said Mac Mini mid 2010, mac Mini late 2009 etc.
I guess Apple is just trying to change the naming paradigm of iPad from iPhone’s naming style into Mac’s naming style. Year by year, it’s going to be iPad. Some will refer it by the release year, but the product name is still “iPad”. This makes more sense that what we imagined before. Whether Apple will do the same for the next iPhone, we shall see.
So what do you think? Will you buy this new iPad?
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