Most of the specs and features on the new iPad lined up with what we expected to see. The Retina display, the upgraded Camera,
and the A5X processor were all rumored to be happening and then they
did. What’s strange is that instead of calling it the iPad 3 or the iPad
HD, Apple came forward and simply introduced the new iPad as the iPad.
Will the next iPhone have the same fate?
You’ve got to wonder, because with the switch in the naming
convention with the iPad, now the iPhone is the only product line left
that carries a moniker to denote its generation. We have several
generations of iPod nano, but they’re all called the iPod nano. We have
several generations of MacBook Pros, but they’re all just called the
MacBook Pro.
Each model name for the iPhone has denoted something. The iPhone 3G
was the first iPhone with 3G. The iPhone 3GS is like the iPhone 3G, but
with extra “S”peed. The iPhone 4 is the fourth iPhone. Following this
convention, it wouldn’t make sense for the next iPhone to be called the
iPhone 5, because it’s really the sixth iPhone. So, Apple might finally
switch things over and simply call it the iPhone. Maybe.
I had this exact conversation with a friend over the weekend and he
asserts that Apple will continue to add a suffix to the iPhone with each
generation, denoting what is “new” or “special” about that model.
That’s possible, but when you consider how Apple names all of its other
products, you’ve got to wonder how much longer the iPhone will be the
only odd one out.