

Regarding the iPad naming ambiguity: It makes sense. - achille

Remember when Apple had a naming convention so bad that it was featured on Wired's 101 ways to save Apple? [<i>1]  In 1994 you had the choice of buying a Powerbook 250, 230, 270c, 145b, 165, 180, and, 180c [</i>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.<p>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.<p>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?<p>Apple is now naming the iPad just like the MacBook &#38; iMac. For proof see the naming their images on their site, it's just called "iPad2012" [<i>5].  
In technical references, Apple names the Macbooks based on their release date. Ie: 15-Inch Late 2011 Macbook Pro. [</i>6]. 
Each model has a distinct number and Identifier, ie: MD313<i>/A, and an Identifier: MacBookPro8,2.<p>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.<p><pre><code>    *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</code></pre>
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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.

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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"

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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.

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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...)

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

