iPad naming convention

So the iPad is now know as "the iPad 4th generation", and the iPad is now no longer referred to as "the New iPad", rather the "iPad 3rd generation". In stores you can buy the iPad Mini, the iPad 2 and the iPad 4th generation (referred to as the iPad with Retina display).

I did predict some of this, and my explanation was that they wanted to make the iPad launch less of a big event then it had been previously. This is to (a) be realistic that there isn't significant hardware feature changes coming at the moment (and so to reduce expectations); and (b) to allow them to release and refresh the series whenever they want, like the other hardware lines (MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac Minis, etc). They haven't gone the full distance though as they are still referring them to as "nth generation" like the iPods rather than like other hardware that isn't referred to by generation but rather the year that it was made on. For example my previous MBP is referred to as a "late 2008 MacBook Pro 15 inch", and my new MBP will be referred to as a "late 2012 MacBook Pro 15 inch with Retina Display".

What this means is I don't think the next iPad will be a called an iPad 5 or an iPad 4S; it will be known as the iPad 5th generation, and will probably still be called the iPad with Retina display. Will it be released in March 2013, that is quite interesting, and I'm going to make the prediction that they will indeed refresh early 2013 to give the 5th generation a speed increase, and potentially some additional ports, it's unlikely it will get a higher res screen. It may get thinner, have a slightly different look, and perhaps have an even longer battery life.

The interesting thing is that the iPad 2 still lives on, but the iPad 3rd generation has been killed off; I can see the rationale as now we have 3 iPads at different price points; the iPad mini, the iPad 2 and the iPad with retina display (4th generation). But what happens when the 5th generation comes out next year? Will Apple continue to sell the iPad 2 at a discounted rate? You know I think with the iPad Mini they now have 3 viable products - and so I predict that the iPad 2 could be enhanced (but non-retina), so we will then have an iPad Mini, an iPad and an iPad with Retina display. Alternatively the iPad 2 will be dropped and we will just have the iPad Mini and the iPad. With the iPad having a retina display - this will probably not happen until the MacBook Pros are merged with the MacBook Pros with retina display.

It will be interesting to see what will happen. And now there is an iPad Mini will we see an iPad Mini with retina display? And will the iPad Mini get refreshed early 2013 as well?