One of the first orders of Steve jobs after his return to Apple in 1997 was to reduce a large number of products. The goal was simple: to cease to confuse buyers a large number of items. It seems that Apple is moving in the opposite direction. The best example is constantly complicate the schema naming iPhone and iPad models.
With the announcement of SE iPhone and 9.7 inch iPad Pro buyers received another complication of the product line of smartphones and tablets Apple. They all have very similar names.
In the case of the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablet to distinguish the “name” will not work. It is also difficult to tell the difference between iPad mini 2 and mini 4, or between iPhone 5/5s and the new iPhone SE (SE — Special Edition). In addition to the already existing contentious issues in the future everything will become a lot more confusing. Will there be next year iPhone SE 2? What will happen to the Air line? As will be called the new Apple Watch?
All these questions are generated by the expansion of product lines, which consist of various modifications of iPhone, iPad, not to mention dozens of Apple Watch models. Once Apple could boast the simplicity of the model range, which was a big plus for buyers. But if situations do not change, the future fragmentation of “Apple” gadget is in danger of collapse remind grocery Samsung.
The trend of extending the model range will appreciate the broad assortment of supporters. To select a device among a dozen modifications, of course, great. But Apple will find it increasingly difficult to talk about simplicity as its main trump card. The company is still in search of new buyers, which explains the return to the compact format of the iPhone and the new iPad after only six months.
Today, every Apple mobile device involves a choice among five different models. In the line of this tablet: 9.7 inch iPad Pro, a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 2. In a series of smartphones: iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE.
This path could be good for Apple, if all your appliances differ in form factor, but have equal opportunities. But in practice we see very different: in SE iPhone does not support 3D Touch, mini version of iPad Pro has a 12-megapixel camera, and the original is Vice versa, and so on.
How do you think, should Apple reconsider the model number of their devices in the direction of simplification or modify the schema product?
