I get that *we* aren’t confused by the naming schemes but regular customers certainly will.
I think that is a bit over the top.
I had a hard enough time explaining to my coworkers what the differences between an XR, XS, and X were. I have no doubt that non-tech-savvy people will be scratching their heads over the differences between the iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro (which itself has 2 sizes).
iPad Mini being the smallest screen ..... confusing to regular end users? How> Mini -- small. Smallest screen
That is a huge stretch on confusion. That it is not the cheapest? Those looking for the cheapest will find out relatively quickly that it is not. Paying "extra" for smaller isn't that hard of a concept to grasp. It is a bit of a change from where mini started off ( to compete with the Android 7" tablets in the $200 range and being the affordable entry point for schools) but if taken on the current context it is relatively clear.
iPad being the mainstream isn't that hard. No adjective at the end ... regular one. Most inexpensive one so those looking based on price, this will be extremely easy to pick out. The primary task this model is assigned is to be affordable. ( edu bulk purchases. those on a budget. etc. )
iPad Air. Apple is going back to what they had a couple years back before the "Pro" showed up. How the "middle" of the line up gets 'Air' is a bit of a leap. It isn't a particularly insightful name all by itself, but if the other three are highly discernible this one "left over" is fairly easy to place into the sequence. If they didn't have 'iPad Air' laying around fallow/unused then they probably could have picked something better. But it is there (and in the refurb/clearance store and tech specs already ). Price wise this is the closer to the historic norm point, $499. If not on a tight budget, this is one without compromises to get to an affordable price point.
iPad Pro Apple consistently uses "Pro" on the product line up to mean "most expensive variant". Usually it has some unique features not available in the more affordable models. Most consumers are going to look at the price and say something to the effect of "Holy Cow" or "Holy bust the budget, Batman" and remove it quickly from consideration.
( if the iPad is being used to generate income/revenue in some professional capacity then cost won't be as much of an issue. that's where Pro comes in. )