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How many people who don't skim tech blogs are going to be confused by the difference between "Mini" and "Air"? Both their current iPad lines include a diminuti

How many people who don't skim tech blogs are going to be confused by the difference between "Mini" and "Air"? Both their current iPad lines include a diminutive in their titles. The smallest MacBook is the Air, but the biggest iPad is the Air? That makes sense. =\

ecnahc515 13y ago
Its not about biggest though, its "thinest"
- jonknee 13y ago
  The iPad Mini and iPad Air are the same thickness (or thinness if you are in Apple PR). It's a strange naming scheme, especially considering their laptops. The Mini should have been the Air in the first place.
djcapelis 13y ago
When the MacBook Air was first introduced it was more expensive than the other MacBooks, it was only after a few product cycles that it fell in price and ate the lower end of the MacBook line and became the affordable product.
podperson 13y ago
It's easy, Apple's "mini" products don't have a display, keyboard, or mouse... oh wait.
macspoofing 13y ago
>The smallest MacBook is the Air, but the biggest iPad is the Air? That makes sense. The biggest iPad is smaller than the smallest Macbook.
roc 13y ago
The marketing goal is differentiation from people's mental conception of the base product. They named the one iPad Mini, because they want people to think "smaller than the iPad". They named the other iPad Air because they want people to think "lighter than the iPad". Which suggests two interesting points: 1. the public at large has a mental concept of how much "the iPad" weighs. 2. enough people think it's 'too heavy', to justify a rebranding to make them reconsider. A simple marketing story of "the new one is thinner / lighter" wasn't considered sufficient.
- hayksaakian 13y ago
  Alternately, the new one is indistinguishably lighter / thinner so they tacked on "air" to make it more obvious
  - roc 13y ago
    145g is about one-and-a-half iPhone5s. People will notice.
biot 13y ago
> The smallest MacBook is the Air, but the biggest iPad is the Air? When you frame it like that, it might sound confusing. However, the word "Mini" implies size. The word "Air" implies weight (or bulk). Both MacBook Pro and MacBook Air come in 13" sizes. However, if they introduced a MacBook Mini, I don't think you'd expect that to be 13" as well. Ergo hoc procter & gamble postdoc: Mini == size, Air == weight.
- jonknee 13y ago
  But the Air is the heavier model...
  - biot 13y ago
    > But the Air is the heavier model... MacBook Pro 13": 1.57 kg MacBook Air 13": 1.08 kg If you're referring to the iPad, the "Air" name implies that it's the lightest of the full-sized iPads. Next year, they could introduce an iPad Air Mini which would clearly be a smaller version of the lightweight iPad Air.
MaysonL 13y ago
Probably setting the stage for the iPad Pro: 12" screen, triple linear pixel density of the original (3072 X 2304), A7X or A8 chip, comes with optional keyboard/battery cover/case, first or second quarter 2014. (I can dream, can't I).
grecy 13y ago
No problem where there are so many Apple Stores around with so many demo units they encourage you to use at length. Who cares what it's called, walk into the store and play with them all until you find the one you like best.

ecnahc515 13y ago

Its not about biggest though, its "thinest"

jonknee 13y ago
The iPad Mini and iPad Air are the same thickness (or thinness if you are in Apple PR). It's a strange naming scheme, especially considering their laptops. The Mini should have been the Air in the first place.

djcapelis 13y ago

When the MacBook Air was first introduced it was more expensive than the other MacBooks, it was only after a few product cycles that it fell in price and ate the lower end of the MacBook line and became the affordable product.

podperson 13y ago

It's easy, Apple's "mini" products don't have a display, keyboard, or mouse... oh wait.

macspoofing 13y ago

>The smallest MacBook is the Air, but the biggest iPad is the Air? That makes sense. The biggest iPad is smaller than the smallest Macbook.

roc 13y ago

The marketing goal is differentiation from people's mental conception of the base product. They named the one iPad Mini, because they want people to think "smaller than the iPad". They named the other iPad Air because they want people to think "lighter than the iPad". Which suggests two interesting points: 1. the public at large has a mental concept of how much "the iPad" weighs. 2. enough people think it's 'too heavy', to justify a rebranding to make them reconsider. A simple marketing story of "the new one is thinner / lighter" wasn't considered sufficient.

hayksaakian 13y ago
Alternately, the new one is indistinguishably lighter / thinner so they tacked on "air" to make it more obvious
- roc 13y ago
  145g is about one-and-a-half iPhone5s. People will notice.

biot 13y ago

> The smallest MacBook is the Air, but the biggest iPad is the Air? When you frame it like that, it might sound confusing. However, the word "Mini" implies size. The word "Air" implies weight (or bulk). Both MacBook Pro and MacBook Air come in 13" sizes. However, if they introduced a MacBook Mini, I don't think you'd expect that to be 13" as well. Ergo hoc procter & gamble postdoc: Mini == size, Air == weight.

jonknee 13y ago
But the Air is the heavier model...
- biot 13y ago
  > But the Air is the heavier model... MacBook Pro 13": 1.57 kg MacBook Air 13": 1.08 kg If you're referring to the iPad, the "Air" name implies that it's the lightest of the full-sized iPads. Next year, they could introduce an iPad Air Mini which would clearly be a smaller version of the lightweight iPad Air.

MaysonL 13y ago

Probably setting the stage for the iPad Pro: 12" screen, triple linear pixel density of the original (3072 X 2304), A7X or A8 chip, comes with optional keyboard/battery cover/case, first or second quarter 2014. (I can dream, can't I).

grecy 13y ago

No problem where there are so many Apple Stores around with so many demo units they encourage you to use at length. Who cares what it's called, walk into the store and play with them all until you find the one you like best.