With just one day to go before Apple Inc. announces the newest version of its iPad tablet, the name game for the new device has started to peak.
In the latest twist to the name game, tech site CNET cited an Apple developer who said the tech darling will name the next iPad the "iPad HD" instead of the "iPad 3."
"A developer who's previously provided reliable information with respect to things Apple and otherwise tells us the next iPad uses the HD moniker instead of going with 'iPad 3.' That matches up well with a report from Gizmodo last week (and an item just posted on VentureBeat) that included an alleged list of upcoming cases from Griffin, listing the product as 'iPad HD (3),' as well as corresponding usage reports from an application called Tapatalk that included 'iPad HD' among the list of devices using it," CNET said.
It was not the first time Apple stopped naming devices by succeeding numbers. It had named its latest iPhone the iPhone 4S instead of the iPhone 4.
But CNET said Apple may have potential problems with the new name on the Internet, as the domain iPadHD.com has already been registered.
It said the owner of iPadHD.com had said he registered the domain before the original iPad was announced in 2010.
"He told us that he's never been contacted by Apple about the domain in the years he's held onto it. That includes the last few weeks," it said.
Another site, iPadHD.biz, is already taken, and is currently parked through a domain company that offers a way to bid on the name.
Still another - iPadHD.co.uk - has been registered since February 26, 2010 or a month after the iPad's unveiling, and is also parked.
"Just because some of these names are already taken doesn't mean Apple won't pounce on them after the fact. It did just that with Cisco and the iPhone name after introducing it--a move that led to a legal spat between the two companies, now settled. Apple also picked up iCloud.com from another company to play home to its cloud-based service last year," it said.
Modifiers
CNET said Apple has been known to tack simple modifiers onto its product names before, so a name like the iPad HD wouldn't be unprecedented.
"For instance, in the fifth major version of its iMovie software (part of iLife), Apple added support for 720p and 1080i video, and also dropped the version number in favor of calling it iMovie HD," it said.
It also said the second-generation iPhone also simply got a "3G" tacked on the end to denote that it was compatible with third-generation cellular networks.
CNET likewise cited a report from The Verge last July that said that multiple sources claimed the next iPad would be called the "iPad HD" and that Apple would be unveiling it to sit alongside the iPad 2. — TJD, GMA News
article source: gmanetwork.com
