What's in a name?
So, please don't take me as a hater, 'cause I'm not. I usually try not to gripe too much...
As time is passing I've noticed that the new laptop, the MacBook Air (if you're not familiar with it click here: http://www.apple.com/macbookair/) it is certainly a love it or hate it product. I don't want to talk about it's merits as a good/bad product, there's already plenty of threads established to discuss that issue.
BUT, having said that, I do feel that Apple, and yes Steve Jobs too, made one big error with this product. Notice my choice of words. They called the damned thing the MacBook Air! Perhaps it's cute, perhaps it points to certain features/aspects of the product... But when ever anybody says the name out loud (go ahead and try right now, that's, "MacBook Air.") When ever anybody says it in an interview, podcast, conversation, etc, it always sounds like they are saying MacBook Error.
It seems to me like poor product planning. They could have dreamt up so many other words to put after MacBook that would have carried the same weight, perhaps even pointed to the same intangibles even. But then they wouldn't have gotten the tag-line! "There's something in the air"? Sounds like, perhaps there were too many balls in the air.
What's worse, if this product proves to be a flop... Well then so many Mac Haters (not me) will have plenty of fodder. Thankfully there are far fewer openly Mac Hater types today than there were a year ago, and compared to three years ago it's a whole new game.
Just thought I'd share.
As time is passing I've noticed that the new laptop, the MacBook Air (if you're not familiar with it click here: http://www.apple.com/macbookair/) it is certainly a love it or hate it product. I don't want to talk about it's merits as a good/bad product, there's already plenty of threads established to discuss that issue.
BUT, having said that, I do feel that Apple, and yes Steve Jobs too, made one big error with this product. Notice my choice of words. They called the damned thing the MacBook Air! Perhaps it's cute, perhaps it points to certain features/aspects of the product... But when ever anybody says the name out loud (go ahead and try right now, that's, "MacBook Air.") When ever anybody says it in an interview, podcast, conversation, etc, it always sounds like they are saying MacBook Error.
It seems to me like poor product planning. They could have dreamt up so many other words to put after MacBook that would have carried the same weight, perhaps even pointed to the same intangibles even. But then they wouldn't have gotten the tag-line! "There's something in the air"? Sounds like, perhaps there were too many balls in the air.
What's worse, if this product proves to be a flop... Well then so many Mac Haters (not me) will have plenty of fodder. Thankfully there are far fewer openly Mac Hater types today than there were a year ago, and compared to three years ago it's a whole new game.
Just thought I'd share.
Comments
Thankfully there are far fewer openly Mac Hater types today than there were a year ago, and compared to three years ago it's a whole new game.
Have you been on digg lately? It's Apple venom city there recently. I'd say the haters are growing, not declining.
They could have dreamt up so many other words to put after MacBook that would have carried the same weight, perhaps even pointed to the same intangibles even.
What other name do you suggest?
...Young and rich students
not to many of thoses...
What other name do you suggest?
MacBook Nads
Seriously, why would you NOT want a product you can brag about?
Sigh..
What other name do you suggest?
I'm not here to suggest alternate names... Besides the fact that Apple wouldn't pay me for my efforts, it's too late, the bezel's been labeled, the boxes are printed and the name is in the... I guess you could say the name is in the air.
Perhaps Digg has become infested with the haters, but here in the real-world there are more and more people who are today wanting an Apple, and many of those people would NEVER have considered a non-windows computer just two years ago. Then again, and Apple is no longer a non-windows computer...
What other name do you suggest?
I always liked the MacBook mini, if for nothing else but for consistency of product nomenclature.
I'm not here to suggest alternate names... Besides the fact that Apple wouldn't pay me for my efforts, it's too late, the bezel's been labeled, the boxes are printed and the name is in the... I guess you could say the name is in the air.
He's not asking you to beat down Jobs' door and demand a name change - he's just wondering what alternatives you would suggest. If the name is so rancid, you should easily be able to come up with something else. It doesn't take that much brain power. If you can't even think of a better name I don't think you have a valid argument whatsoever.
What other name do you suggest?
MacBook Mini - if they really wanted to mean the lightness of the Notebook - MacBook nano .
MacBook Air is a fairly dumb name. I've gotten used to it, but it's still kinda meh.
Not gonna stop me blowing 1200UK on one though.