The First Post-PC Device

There has been some confusion over the naming of Apple's latest iPad. It isn't called the iPad 3 or iPad HD; it's simply the new iPad. No, not 'The New iPad'. It's merely the newest iteration of the iPad. No more clever naming conventions, it's just the latest model. To add to the confusion, Apple is keeping the iPad 2 around under the same name. I can see how this can worry some people. Unsuspecting consumers may have to think for a moment, "Wait. Which one is newer? The iPad or the iPad 2?" Well that's why there are salespeople.

I think this is a wise move on Apple's part to strengthen their brand. By dropping the number, they solve a number of problems. First off, the general consumer will stop putting off the purchase of a new model because of rampant speculation and rumors. Sure, they'll hear that a new iPad is coming next year, but they won't hear, "Hold off on your purchase because the iPad 4 is right around the corner." People love numbers, and they want the best, newest, highest number they can get. But these aren't BMWs. These are consumer devices that come in only a couple of flavors and cost about the same across the line. I'm not typing this on my MacBook Air 4; I'm using the latest version of that computer, the 2011 model. As the iPad solidifies itself as the de facto tablet, the yearly updates will become less and less relevant. We have the screen and we have the software. The yearly speed bumps won't be so important. The need to upgrade will be less and less until a drastically different design emerges. The other tablet manufacturers will keep turning our products with useless names like Galaxy, or Zoom, or Hercules, or whatever. Apple is more than happy to let those guys race to the bottom and make themselves irrelevant.