Apple may simplify iPhone naming and reduce dependence on confusing numbers, chip models and software versions. The rumored iPhone "Air" may provide Apple with an opportunity to update its product line and launch a brand new brand strategy. Simplifying the iPhone name to iPhone E, Air, Pro, and Ultra will match the existing product naming strategies for Apple's other products.
There are rumors that Apple will launch ultra-thin phones this fall, and the company may also decide to launch a new naming solution for its iPhone lineup. The numbers of the latest models are getting harder to track, so now is the perfect time for iPhones to adopt new naming specifications.
In fact, Apple can increase the number of iPhone models forever. On the one hand, it is easy to understand how many years the iPhone 16 is newer than the iPhone 13. However, this numbering scheme brings more problems than it solves.
The most obvious thing is that the numbers are too close. The iPhone 16 Pro uses the A18 Pro chip and runs iOS 18. Chip brands may not be important to consumers, but Apple sells operating systems and mobile phone models in a way that wants these to be important in people’s minds.
Another confusing numeric variable is year. iPhone 16 is launched in 2024. Following the same trajectory, the iPhone 20 will be launched in 2029. Samsung jumped to the 2020 Galaxy S10 in 2019 to match the year and seemed to circumvent the issue before it became clumsy.
If it's not a number, what is it? The iPhone's brand possibilities are endless, but if I make predictions, I think it's better to keep it simple. Apple is a company that tends to follow the pattern and rely on past trends.
The website reporting Apple's iPhone product line plan this year has begun to call a new ultra-slim phone the iPhone Air.
While this particular name is not important, I do think giving it a unique name will help to distinguish it in people’s minds. If it gets a new name, it will eventually provide the company with the best chance to get rid of digital conventions.
In the process of explaining the new name, I think it is necessary to explain why new models appear. In recent years, Apple has three successful iPhone models: iPhone, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max. But to further expand its market share, it attempts to impose a fourth model into the product matrix. First is the iPhone mini. Then there's the recent iPhone Plus.
Its mode is to have a regular size, a larger size, a regular size Pro and a larger size - a total of four major products. The report shows that mini and Plus sales did not meet the company's expectations. In fact, Plus may join the Mini and disappear forever.
With the new iPhone Air, Apple can change the way it positions the iPhone product line around sizes and reposition it in different ways.
The following is my vision, what the iPhone product line might look like in September this year:
At the low end, the current iPhone 16e can remove the numbers and become an entry-level model. Then, instead of the iPhone 17, the model just needs to remove the numbers. It will be the default model for many people, which is exactly the case with the basic iPad.
The iPhone Air is not directly related to today's phones, but it may be more stylish, with a stylish framework, and may have some enhancements than the average iPhone in exchange for higher costs. The iPhone Pro, with its traditional size, is probably better than the Air in terms of camera optics and battery life.
The high-end iPhone Ultra can get all the cutting-edge features that Pro Max currently has. When things go urgent, Apple tends to put advanced features into larger sizes, even if not everyone willing to spend money wants to carry the largest phone.
It may be a bit bold to predict that this naming method will be adopted this year, but seeing the name written down, it feels like it will arrive sooner or later. The iPad and MacBook product lines have already done so. The latest iPad Mini is just the iPad Mini. People are not currently using the MacBook Air 7.
The latest models assume the role of the default product. It's like James Bond is always James Bond, despite the different actors or environments.
Of course, a simple "iPhone" name can be a little confusing when talking about multi-generation products, but Apple has solved this problem with parentheses and descriptors for iPad and other computers. Sometimes it's a year, sometimes it's a chip, for example (M4). I think the same is true for any new iPhone that takes over naming rights.
I don't think there will ever be a clear way to change the naming of your iPhone. For that matter, Apple just slightly complicated things by replacing the iPhone SE with the iPhone 16e. This does not exactly fit the practice of removing numbers.
But in this case, I think the current sales are a major issue, and the name can always be changed or phased out. As mentioned before, I wouldn't be shocked if the same iPhone 16e was renamed to the iPhone E by September.
The iPhone 16e may be slightly updated and become a new model with a new name, which is very unlikely. There are some iPads that have been updated six months later, so there are some precedents. However, the most urgent thing is that the iPhone SE is not sold in Europe. Apple is reluctant to give up offering more entry-level iPhones for more than six months. What it needs to do now.
If neither of the above happens, the iPhone 16e will likely remain with the latest model for a few years until it is updated and gets the updated name.
The iPhone product line does require updated naming conventions. A quick survey of people around me revealed that they weren't sure what the latest iPhone model is or which one they own. With the addition of new members in the product line, now seems to be the best time to change this situation. I think we'll see results later this year.
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