Good catch on Apple's own "official" unofficial naming. If Apple is using "The new iPad" as their written name then it can't really be claimed that "The new" is some sort of user error and WE are the dummies for reading it wrong.
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Naming the NEW New iPad :P
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Good catch on Apple's own "official" unofficial naming. If Apple is using "The new iPad" as their written name then it can't really be claimed that "The new" is some sort of user error and WE are the dummies for reading it wrong.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad/ipad3
It's just called the iPad. I bet they call it "the new" just so people don't get confused. "Why is the iPad 2 cheaper than the iPad?! Oh... It's the new iPad..." Make sense?
I'd prefer just the "(size) iDeviceName (season, year)" method of naming any of this sort of gear. No series, no numbers, no association to certain technologies or generations. So just call it the mini iPad (late 2012). That still leaves room for such as the nano iPad and the monster iPad later on 
If I were a hassled parent of teenagers, and not particularly inclined to follow the ins and outs of mobile computing gear releases, I'd just rather ask my kid "Are you talking about the Topaz or the Crunchy?" rather than "... the 3GS or the 4S?" when he says he wants some phone and I try to follow up with a little online research and then get back to him to finalize purchase plans. I mean are you kidding me, wtf does 3GS or 4S mean anyway and why should a casual consumer have to know it does or does not refer to a) some generation or b) some technology or c) next in a series. I'll take "Crunchy", in red, the 32GB model. Keep yer fat ol' blue 64GB Topaz.
Recently I went through yet another cruise of coffeemaker appliances. I did not buy one. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at, was it last year's overstock, the latest launch, or what. I was COMPLETELY put off by all the model numbers and lack of launch date information. I feel the same way about computing gear. I might not want the latest thing, and I very often don't; in fact I'm considering a 17" refurb MBP for use in my studio at the moment. However, I do want to know the model year / season of an item. Is that so much for a consumer to want to know without having to ask for it as a separate bit of information?
My money was still green the last time I looked, and it's exactly the color green that the seller wants. So let him identify his products to make it easier for me to know what the heck I am buying. Otherwise my money stays in my pocket. I'm still using a French press for my coffee and all because I hate the model naming habits of the appliance industry!
If I were a hassled parent of teenagers, and not particularly inclined to follow the ins and outs of mobile computing gear releases, I'd just rather ask my kid "Are you talking about the Topaz or the Crunchy?" rather than "... the 3GS or the 4S?" when he says he wants some phone and I try to follow up with a little online research and then get back to him to finalize purchase plans. I mean are you kidding me, wtf does 3GS or 4S mean anyway and why should a casual consumer have to know it does or does not refer to a) some generation or b) some technology or c) next in a series. I'll take "Crunchy", in red, the 32GB model. Keep yer fat ol' blue 64GB Topaz.
Recently I went through yet another cruise of coffeemaker appliances. I did not buy one. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at, was it last year's overstock, the latest launch, or what. I was COMPLETELY put off by all the model numbers and lack of launch date information. I feel the same way about computing gear. I might not want the latest thing, and I very often don't; in fact I'm considering a 17" refurb MBP for use in my studio at the moment. However, I do want to know the model year / season of an item. Is that so much for a consumer to want to know without having to ask for it as a separate bit of information?
My money was still green the last time I looked, and it's exactly the color green that the seller wants. So let him identify his products to make it easier for me to know what the heck I am buying. Otherwise my money stays in my pocket. I'm still using a French press for my coffee and all because I hate the model naming habits of the appliance industry!
Well, thankfully the third gen is not called "New iPad". It's "iPad." The "new" was for marketing's sake. Now it will be just iPad (7.85) and iPad (9.7)
The iPad (4th gen) would make sense but they certainly haven't done that lately ... For all the attention to details Apple does the naming deal with the "iPad" line has been pretty bad
iPhone a bit as well
iPhone a bit as well
Ok, so a number of people have pointed out that "new" is not capitalized, and not officially part of the name, and just utilized as an unfortunate necessity to distinguish as a successor to the iPad 2. It's a modifier.
So the awkward hierarchy goes:
iPad
iPad 2
iPad*
I appreciate the idea that Apple wants to avoid the future awkwardness of "The iPad 17," but people are always going to need to distinguish between the various iterations in some way.
So now that we will have a 4th iPad, there has to be SOME kind of modifier added to the current iPad* to distinguish it. Some suggested a (date) modifier, some a (3rd generation) modifier, some even suggested just giving up and calling it the iPad 3 (making the refresh the iPad 4 or the iPad 3S or 3L or whatever).
Anyway, it's fairly trivial, but it just seems like they could have avoided a lot of this by giving the current iPad* a modifier other than "new" to begin with - something that could have followed it throughout its life cycle - even when it's no longer "new."
So the awkward hierarchy goes:
iPad
iPad 2
iPad*
I appreciate the idea that Apple wants to avoid the future awkwardness of "The iPad 17," but people are always going to need to distinguish between the various iterations in some way.
So now that we will have a 4th iPad, there has to be SOME kind of modifier added to the current iPad* to distinguish it. Some suggested a (date) modifier, some a (3rd generation) modifier, some even suggested just giving up and calling it the iPad 3 (making the refresh the iPad 4 or the iPad 3S or 3L or whatever).
Anyway, it's fairly trivial, but it just seems like they could have avoided a lot of this by giving the current iPad* a modifier other than "new" to begin with - something that could have followed it throughout its life cycle - even when it's no longer "new."
OMG. Of course that's a stupid name and that's why it never was called "The New iPad." It was the next generation of iPad, therefore described by Tim Cook as "new." If there are still people who keep clinging to this belief... please read Apple's own website: http://www.apple.com/ipad/
Note the name in the black bar, and the name below to the left. The advertisement is simply describing it as new, it's not part of the name.
The way people take things so literally around here, if Tim Cook says "We have multiple color iPad minis for you to choose!" It will take five seconds for people to run to these forums and say the new name is the "Multiple colored iPad mini."
OMG. Of course that's a stupid name and that's why it never was called "The New iPad." It was the next generation of iPad, therefore described by Tim Cook as "new." If there are still people who keep clinging to this belief... please read Apple's own website: http://www.apple.com/ipad/
Note the name in the black bar, and the name below to the left. The advertisement is simply describing it as new, it's not part of the name.
The way people take things so literally around here, if Tim Cook says "We have multiple color iPad minis for you to choose!" It will take five seconds for people to run to these forums and say the new name is the "Multiple colored iPad mini."
Ahem.
As far as the name in the black bar at the top of the site and at the top of the product page, of course it just says "iPad". iPad is a product category. Within that category, Apple sells The new iPad and the iPad 2.
The iPhone tab on the black bar doesn't say "iPhone 5", it just says iPhone, same with the name at the top left of the iPhone page. Within that category Apple sells the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S, and the iPhone 4.
It will just be called iPad. The current generation iPad is just called iPad. Referring to it as "the new iPad" is a temporary adjustment so that people don't get confused with the iPad 2 being on the market, and to ease people off of the numerical naming system. I think Tim Cook wanted to legitimize the idea of the iPad replacing PCs, so he decided on using the convention that Apple's PCs use. Next year it won't be as confusing, there will be the iPad and the iPad Mini.
I actually agree with Apple on this.
It's the same with the Macbook, Air, Pro.
They don't call the Macbook Air 1, 2, 3. It's just Macbook Air.
Now that there are two iPads out, and the iPad is being geared more as a productivity device, and learning tool, it is more a laptop than a smartphone, hence the lack of numbers.
I mean, even the iPod Touchs, Nano, Shuffle don't have numbers, so why should the iPad?
It's the same with the Macbook, Air, Pro.
They don't call the Macbook Air 1, 2, 3. It's just Macbook Air.
Now that there are two iPads out, and the iPad is being geared more as a productivity device, and learning tool, it is more a laptop than a smartphone, hence the lack of numbers.
I mean, even the iPod Touchs, Nano, Shuffle don't have numbers, so why should the iPad?
Ahem.
As far as the name in the black bar at the top of the site and at the top of the product page, of course it just says "iPad". iPad is a product category. Within that category, Apple sells The new iPad and the iPad 2.
The iPhone tab on the black bar doesn't say "iPhone 5", it just says iPhone, same with the name at the top left of the iPhone page. Within that category Apple sells the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S, and the iPhone 4.
Please, let the nitwits continue their babbling. It's comedy gold.
THIS!!
When Apple releases iPod's they are just called "iPod", "iPod Touch", "iPod Shuffle", etc. There is no numbers, or scheme to separate the generations. I'm assuming that's what Apple wants for the iPad after they decided not to call it iPad 3. It won't be "new new iPad", when looking for cases and accessories you will look for 4th generation iPad just like the new iPod touch is "iPod Touch 5th generation" on Apple's site.