Is the iPad the New Edsel?

I have a policy of only engaging in constructive critique here at metacool.  As a person who has made a living doing this stuff for almost two decades, hard and difficult to bring new stuff to life, so we must be respectful of those who try.  We need to celebrate errors of omission, and strive to learn from them.

Comments

[Jamiecoch]

The 12 year old boy inside of me had the same reaction - a giggle followed by you've got to be kidding me? Perhaps that inner voice doesn't exist at Apple, but it definitely does with the masses. Here's to hoping the project team was just full steam ahead on other more pressing issues and that the name was just an afterthought. It'll be interesting to see if the name has any lasting impact.

On a serious note, thank you for all of the great information and posts. I really enjoy learning from this blog. I use the innovation principles as a framework for my daily work. I created a mindmap so I could keep them all on one page.

http://www.mindmeister.com/33741480/considerations-for-the-evaluation-of-innovative-ideas-business-development-adapted-from-diego-rodriguez-2009

[Craigsyverson]

Well said, Diego and yeah - a real eye-roller. While Apple's design thinking and long-term product strategy has been nothing but brilliant of late, something has gone wrong in the naming department for quite some time.

For me, it started when Rendezvous had to be renamed for legal reasons, and Bonjour was chosen. No one, not a French-speaker nor an American can say this word without sounding either pretentious or backward.

Then it was "MacBook Pro," which sounded like lines that would be repeated maniacally in a Saturday morning cartoon.

Speaking of cartoons, then came "Mighty Mouse," which was just plain embarrassing. "Magic Mouse" followed, which is only slightly worse.

Now this.

It's getting harder to be as cool as possible when I have to actually refer to these products I own by their given names. Bring on the Apple CCO; soon.

[Onnyc]

I think you are right that iPad is not the greatest name--I would have preferred something more descriptive of what you can do with it rather than its form factor. That said, apart from the name, they seem to have understood the culture of non-geeks fairly well when they developed this thing (and how the geeks on the internet revolted). I will probably end up buying one. Not for myself--but for my mother. I think this post is helpful in explaining what this device is good for: http://northtemple.com/2010/02/01/on-ipads-grandmas-and-gam

Now, let's play a little word association. I say "pod" and you say...

Was it "i" or "people?" Even if it was "people," does that affect your view of an iPod now? Apple's success in the marketplace has redefined the word. If the iPad is anywhere near as successful, the feminine hygiene joke will be forgotten long before the device is.

Apart from the unfortunate names, Apple understands culture quite well. It has created a legion of extremely (and often, irrationally) fans. I think this could not be possible without a good understanding of the culture of its users. It has created two lines of extremely successful products (iPod and iPhone), a feat that requires a level of cultural understanding. Does Apple need a new naming czar--sure. (Steve Jobs wanted to name the iMac the "MacMan" http://www.9to5mac.com/macman_oh_man_30557) Does it need a new CCO--probably not.