Aven Donn
nouveau sereph
I've been thinking about it, and I find it interesting that they've dropped the series indicator, it's just "the iPad". No model numbers any longer, just "iPad". I think it's two fold; firstly it brings it in line with the rest of Apple's product nomenclature (we're not on the MBP7, for example), but secondly, it differentiates and defines them against the backdrop of their competitors.
If Samsung releases three tablets of varying configurations in a year, that's three device names they come out with, and a splintering of the public's awareness of Samsung's offerings. But if Apple releases one tablet a year, and it's always the iPad, what are consumers gonna opt for? The latest Galaxy Tab (of which they aren't sure the exact name of at any given moment) or just "the latest iPad"?
It's an interesting move, especially when their competitors seem to get hung up on appending new numbers and new buzzwords every time they release a device.
As opposed to walking into a store and saying "Hi, give me the latest Samsung Galaxy please"
Now you can't even check the number on the box at a glance to see if it's the right iPad, and the problem will only get worse.
What problem? You walk into an Apple store or an authorised reseller and you ask for the latest iPad. If they don't have it, you get the second latest. That's it. End of transaction. When asked later, "what iPad do you have?", even years later, you'll respond "the 2011 one". It's the beauty of releasing only one model a year, you don't need to differentiate your own products against themselves. If I asked a sales rep for the latest Samsung Galaxy Tab, what would he offer me? Would it be the 5.whatever inch or the 7 or would he even try to sell me on Asus' newest transformer (for this quarter) or Dell's newest buzzword? I don't even know what's current for Android tablets at the moment, and I try to keep up with this stuff; the Kindle Fire and the Nook Colour are probably the only tablets that you could get a stranger to name or get excited about on the street, and they don't even have hardware parity with the second gen iPad. Which is the best Android? Is there a best Android? It's hard questions to put on a consumer, or even a sales rep, versus Apple's easier approach.
That's why its worth noting. You don't have ease of entry in the Android tablet market. You're assaulted with choices, and often given conflicting options from the same brands. Apple's new approach is much simpler - when you buy an iPad, you're just asking for the iPad, and you can be reasonably sure that it's the most up to date iPad you can buy at that point in history - and if not, it's the second most up to date, and its cheaper. This kind of ease of entry counts, man, especially to non-technical consumers. The iPad presents a demonstrably easier choice, and I think consumers will respond to it. Compared to Android vendor's multiple releases a year, I think it'll pan out long term much better than the multiple competing Android releases do in the short term.