The best choice would be iPhone, iPhone Pro, iPhone Plus, and apply that to iPad and Macs for the current lineup

Mar 28, 2016 06:16 GMT  ·  By

A few years ago, it was easy: you could have gotten the new iPhone, iPad or MacBook Pro and run with it. It was the best, the most current, with the latest iOS or OS X and all the bells and whistles. 

Fast forward to 2016 and you have five different models of iPhone in two or four different colors, with two or three different capacities, and running on two chips.

The newest iPhone (iPhone SE) is not the best out there, it doesn't have the best screen, the best camera or the highest battery. It doesn't even support 3D Touch and lacks a sensor and some other internals.

Yes, I am talking about the iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6 and iPhone SE. A few years ago, if someone was asking me what iPhone they should get and when the new one would come out, I would have an answer right away. Now it all seems blurry. The starting price is not the same, the differences between models barely count when it comes to performance, so it is very difficult to recommend just one iPhone.

The iPad WHAT?

Oh, and don't even get me started on iPads. There are two iPad Pro versions. Yes, someone decided to call them both iPad Pro even though the smaller one is a 9.7" screener and the big one boasts a 12.9" display. But wait, there's more. The 9.7" iPad Pro comes in exactly the same size and with almost in the same specs as the iPad Air 2.

Sure enough, the new one has a wide color display and a true tone display, and it runs on a third-generation chip. It even has "Tap to focus with Focus Pixels." Whatever that may be.

But the (mini) Pro versus iPad Air 2 comparison fades when it comes to the iPad mini. Apple sells the iPad mini 4 and iPad mini 2. Why there is no iPad mini 3 beats me! These devices have a different height and depth, but the screen is 7.9" on both of them. You would have to scroll all the way down in Apple's specs page for iPads just to find out that there's no Touch ID sensor on the older one.

So the cheapest iPad would be the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini, currently running at $269 (€240), and the most expensive one is the 256GB Wi-Fi + Cellular 12.9-inch iPad Pro. You can get it for $1,229 (€1,099). Guess what? That may be replaced by a new model in just 7 months from now.

The MacBook OLD

Did you know that Apple still sells the 13-inch MacBook Air from 2009 (updated with a new processor in March 2015)? One would ask who would buy a machine with no Retina display, thicker than the MacBook, and way slower than the 13-inch MacBook Pro. For some reason, Apple still keeps them around.

You know what else is around in 2016? The non-retina display 13-inch MacBook Pro. Yes, the thick and heavy laptop computer of 2008. You could call it The MacBook Old, and you would not be far from the truth.

Introducing a new naming convention: Pro, Plus and regular

Wouldn't it be nice to have the iPhone Pro, iPhone Plus and iPhone? How about the iPad, iPad Pro and iPad Plus? That would work for the Mac, as well, right? Let me dive into that. The iPhone line, as I see it, could be renamed as follows:

•iPhone SE (and future 4" devices) could be called iPhone. •iPhone 6s (and future 4.7" devices) would be iPhone Pro. •iPhone 6s Plus (or next-generation 5.4" devices) would be the iPhone Plus

The iPhone could always be the size we love - a smaller, cheaper but just as fast device as we know it to be. iPhone Pro is the one that has all the new bells and whistles like 3D Touch, a faster chip or a better screen technology. You know... the "Tap Focus with Focus Pixels" thing.

iPhone Plus is obviously the largest phone. It has the same thing as the Pro, but a larger screen, bigger battery life and better lens for the camera.

Apple has to implement a naming convention and use the year as the differentiator. Is the iPhone a Pro released in 2044? Call it the 2044 iPhone Pro. It would be awkward to call it iPhone 27s, right?

When it comes to iPads, it is even clearer:  •the iPad Mini (7.9" screen) would be named iPad •the iPad Air / smaller iPad Pro (9.7" display) would be iPad Pro •the larger iPad Pro (12.9" screen) is the iPad Plus

The same distinction by years could be applied here. Why on earth would you name it iPad Air 18 when you could just name it the 2040 iPad Pro?

Talking about Mac laptops:  •the current MacBook could be called MacBook  •the current 13" MacBook Pro could be MacBook Pro •the current 15" MacBook pro would be MacBook Plus

Yes, I know you will ask me about last year's iPhone or iPad that Apple still wants to sell at a lower-to-nothing price with a subscription. That's an easy one. Why call it iPhone 27 Plus when you know it is the 2043 iPhone Plus? Still easy to remember and identify in Apple's lineup.

Apple needs a new naming convention, and now is not soon enough!