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Regarding the iPad naming ambiguity: It makes sense.

18 points by achille ↗ HN
Remember when Apple had a naming convention so bad that it was featured on Wired's 101 ways to save Apple? [1] In 1994 you had the choice of buying a Powerbook 250, 230, 270c, 145b, 165, 180, and, 180c [2]. While Apple had a numbering technique behind the scenes, the numbers were arbitrary to most consumers. They were confusing. Apple fixed that, Today you walk in and just get the latest MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.

Does it matter that they are now selling their 8th generation MacBook Pro? After all, It carries the same meaning as "4th generation iPhone" or "3rd Generation iPad". Yet they don't call it "Macbook Pro 8". And the buyers don't mind it. They walk in, ask for a MacBook Pro, and Apple will happily sell them the latest revision.

The arbitrary numbering of the 90's has nowadays been replaced with the bizarre naming of current phones. What's the difference between the HTC EndeavorU, Ville, Primo, Pyramid, Vigor, Radar, and Eternity?

Apple is now naming the iPad just like the MacBook & iMac. For proof see the naming their images on their site, it's just called "iPad2012" [5]. In technical references, Apple names the Macbooks based on their release date. Ie: 15-Inch Late 2011 Macbook Pro. [6]. Each model has a distinct number and Identifier, ie: MD313/A, and an Identifier: MacBookPro8,2.

But that's meaningless to the end user. They just want a MacBook Pro. Or a Macbook Air. Apple's new iPad naming policy just makes sense. They name the product line. Because that's what really matters.

    *1 - http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.06/apple.html
    *2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook#Timeline_of_portable_Macintoshes
    *4 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Pro#Technical_specifications
    *5 - http://store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com/2416/as-images.apple.com/is/image/AppleInc/ipad2012-step0-ipad-gallery-01-zoom
    *6 - http://support.apple.com/kb/SP644

12 comments

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seltzered_
made me think of "the new volkswagen beetle".

Heck, my boss is making me rename our "next-gen" app to our old apps name before it's release simply because the old name has been heavily marketed already/ingrained in people's minds.

Cliff's Notes: Welcome to consumer marketing 101.

Terretta
It also lets users feel less resentful or stressed about "having to" upgrade just so they can say they have the latest model. Now, like MacBook, you can just say you have an iPad, and you don't have to explain what sales cycle you're in. Also makes the product base seem less fragmented.
herval
That's not exactly an advantage for Apple (from a marketing perspective)... Also, the absence of numbers on both the MBP and iPod do make reselling somewhat "harder": "no no, it's the mbp, but the... Uh... Pre-univody version. Yeah, the one with multitouch and a button"
areitz
The reason why this works for Macs (and for cars) is that when the new model comes out, the old model is no longer manufactured and sold. Once it goes out of stock, it's gone.

With the iPad (and also the iPhone), Apple has been employing a strategy of continuing to manufacture and sell the previous year’s model along side with the latest model. Next year, when Apple brings out the 4th generation iPad, how will consumer’s be able to tell what it is that they’re buying? Apple will be selling a $400 3rd gen iPad, next to a $500 4th gen iPad. How will the consumer know which to choose?

That’s why I’m not sold on the new naming scheme for the iPad. We’ll have to see what Apple does in 2013.

gte910h
>of continuing to manufacture and sell

I'm not sure that's true longterm, as much as "getting rid of old inventory"

bradleyland
This is one of the cases where a car analogy is actually pretty good. Car dealers frequently have left over inventory that they sell at a discount. The difference is that Apple continues to manufacture the previous year model. I don't think this "previous model" concept is very difficult for consumers to grasp though, and it's certainly better than an arbitrary numbering scheme.
herval
Sequential numbers are not arbitrary... The "previous model" issue seems relevant to me too: "do u want the new new ipad, or is it the new ipad from last year? Oh, you mean the ORIGINAL new ipad..." (jerry, the apple genius, 2014)

Regarding the car dealers, they rarely have more than ONE "previous generation" in stock (as far as I know...)

socialist_coder
I don't think it's hard for consumers to understand that the 3rd gen iPad is $400 and the 4th gen iPad is $500.

Plus, if you just think about it from a feature checklist perspective, there will be a few clearly differentiating features that will also guide consumers on their purchase.

jinushaun
Apple smartly wanted to avoid another repeat of the iPhone 4S versus iPhone 5 debate. Apple is now controlling their own destiny and reigning in expectations.
sendos
The reason this naming convention (omitting the number) works for Macs but not for iPhones and iPads is that iPhones and iPads come with a lot of accessories (cases, car kits, etc) that need to be form-fitting.

So, you want a case for iPad 1 and not a generic iPad case. You want a car kit that fits the iPhone 3GS and not a generic iPhone.

For iMacs, you don't really need any accessories that care about the shape of the iMac, they only care what ports you have. For MacBooks, usually laptop cases just care about how big the laptop is (i.e. 13 vs 15 vs 17 inches), and don't have to be as form-fitting as iPad or iPhone cases.

As a result, it's more important to know exactly which iPad or iPhone model you have, than it is to know exactly which iMac or MacBook model you have.

achompas
But then you do what Apple does on its MBP/iMac refurbished page and list the iPad release date, i.e. "case for early 2012 iPad." It's not ideal for accessory sellers, but that's not Apple's problem.
sendos
It's a problem for consumers, so it should be Apple's problem