Apple’s naming conventions are a mess — Here’s what I would do…
I’ve reworked Apple’s whole naming system to be way more consistent and logical. Ditching the inconsistent pre/postfixes like “Max”, “Air”, “SE”, “Plus” and “Studio” to make everything cleaner and easier to follow.
Here’s what I’m thinking…
Product Lineup:
Apple Phone
The standard smartphone model with multiple sizes, similar to how the current iPad Pro lineup promotes sizes (no “Plus”).
Apple Phone Pro
A higher-end model with multiple sizes, similar to how the current iPad Pro lineup promotes sizes (no “Max”).
Apple Pad
The standard tablet, with multiple sizes (i.e. the iPad mini), dropping the iPad Air to simplify the product line (four variants of the Pad is plenty).
Apple Pad Pro
A professional-grade tablet with enhanced features.
Apple Watch
The basic model (i.e. aluminium version, no SE nonsense).
Apple Watch Pro
The professional model (i.e. titanium version).
Apple Watch Ultra
The high-performance model, designed for extreme conditions.
Apple Watch [BRAND_NAME]
For collaborations with luxury brands like Hermes or Nike (e.g. Apple Watch Hermes).
Apple TV
The streaming box, clearly distinguishing it from the service.
Apple Vision
The entry-level AR headset (if released).
Apple Vision Pro
The premium AR headset with advanced features (i.e. the one currently available).
Apple Mac
A desktop computer, replacing the Mac mini.
Apple Mac Pro
A powerful desktop computer, replacing the Mac Studio.
Apple Mac Ultra
The highest-performance desktop, replacing the current Mac Pro.
Apple Mac Book
The lightweight laptop, replacing the MacBook Air.
Apple Mac Book Pro
The professional laptop with advanced features.
Apple Mac Desk
The all-in-one desktop computer, replacing the iMac.
Apple Mac Desk Pro
The professional all-in-one desktop, replacing the iMac Pro.
Apple Home Pod
The smart speaker, replacing the HomePod mini.
Apple Home Pod Pro
The premium version of the smart speaker, replacing the HomePod.
Apple Pods
The wireless earbuds, replacing AirPods.
Apple Pods Pro
The professional-grade wireless earbuds, replacing AirPods Pro.
Apple Pods Ultra
The high-end over-ear headphones, replacing AirPods Max.
Apple Display
The standard display, replacing the Pro Display.
Apple Display Pro
The professional-grade display, replacing the Pro Display XDR.
Operating System:
phoneOS
The operating system for Apple Phone (replacing iOS).
padOS
The operating system for Apple Pad (replacing iPadOS).
watchOS
The operating system for Apple Watch.
tvOS
The operating system for Apple TV.
visionOS
The operating system for Apple Vision.
macOS
The operating system for Apple Mac, Mac Book, and Mac Desk.
Versioning of the OS’ would be numeric only (moving away from the code name pattern used for macOS currently).
The (almost) camel-case naming relates closely to it’s programming origins.
Applications:
Apple Music
Apple Maps
Apple Arcade
Apple TV
Apple Fitness
Apple News
etc. etc. (this follows the current naming conventions).
Services:
Apple One
The bundle of Apple services.
Apple Cloud
Cloud storage and services, replacing iCloud.
Apple Pay
The mobile payment and digital wallet service.
Apple Card
The Apple-branded credit card.
Apple Auto
A smartphone mirroring system (replaces CarPlay).
Apple Store
The retail and online store for Apple products.
Apple Intelligence
AI platform for more personalised experiences.
Apple Support
The customer support platform.
Apple Music+
A premium subscription for Apple Music, offering additional features.
Apple Arcade+
A premium subscription for Apple Arcade, with exclusive games and content.
Apple TV+
A premium subscription for Apple TV, offering exclusive shows and movies.
Apple Fitness+
A premium subscription for Apple Fitness, offering additional workouts and features.
Apple News+
A premium subscription for Apple News, with exclusive content.
Apple Care+
The premium customer support and device protection service.
Additional Notes:
Year-Based Versioning:
In the same vein as their MacBook versioning, scrapping the numbering system (no more iPhone 13 or 14). Instead, everything just gets the release year, like Apple Phone (2024), Apple Phone Pro (2024), etc.
The release would be like “The New Apple Phone” — The date versioning would be for product identification only.
This would also make it easier for Apple to move away from the year-on-year refresh cycle and instead introduce innovation when it is ready.
Premium Services:
The “+” symbol in service names (e.g., Apple Music+, Apple Arcade+) indicates a premium version of the basic service with extra features or exclusive content.
Pro and Ultra:
Pro and Ultra are the “beefed-up” versions across the board, whether it’s for power users or extreme performance models. This helps make it super clear what level of product you’re getting — Pro is for serious users, and Ultra is the next level up for those who want the absolute best. Makes things a lot more intuitive for anyone trying to decide between Apple’s standard models and the more powerful options.
