Apple made a mistake in calling their latest upgrade just the iPad. Before yesterday’s launch rumours were adrift about what the iPad 2’s predecessor would be named and two contenders presented itself: the iPad HD and the iPad 3. The online ruckus caused by Tim Cook’s ambiguity created a hyped discussion on Mashable which from a promotion perspective can only be positive, but highlighted some disgruntled undertones. One commenter aptly surmised his feelings about the whole thing by suggesting that people would be stupid to “spend $500 on something that only has a bit more computing power over the first iPad”. As a consumer i’m inclined to agree, but as a marketer, I know that technology needs to be pushed like this so the market can continue innovating.
The question is: which name lessens the blow? Which name cools the smoking hole in your wallet? It’s certainly not the number 3, acting as a constant reminder of Apple’s transience. After all, this is 3 iPads in 3 years we’re talking about. Upgrading each time would cost someone a sweet £1.5k, or more, just to step in the footprints of Apple’s giant strides across the industry. There is a lack of reassurance in buying a product that’s third in a seemingly infinite line.
But HD – well, even the most technologically illiterate cave dweller knows what that stands for. It lends credence to new Apple buyers who can associate the experience of watching the Super Bowl – or Desperate Housewives – on their televisions with the sharp usability of an iPad.
However just ‘iPad’ is simply misleading. This is not the first iPad and this will not be the last iPad. It’s also boring – where’s the erudite, new age mist that’s surrounded products like the iPhone 4G? It seems like Tim Cook is attempting to distance this latest gadget from the first iPad and iPad 2 legacies, perhaps because there are more exciting things to come, or perhaps the improvements to the iPad can only get more superficial. After all, the newest version is a few millimetres thicker and a few grams heavier in exchange for a ‘retina’ screen that’s so sharp it probably hurts. It’ll be interesting to see where Apple goes since Steve Jobs passed away.
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