News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:iPad 9.7‑inch by talldan on Tuesday March 21, 2017 @11:03AM (#13922786)
There's also the 3G, 3GS, 4S, 5S, 5C, 6S, 6 Plus, 6S Plus

Looking back, there were always non-descriptive names, and inconsistencies.

I'd argue that not knowing what 'Android' is actually demonstrates the technology has reached its goal of being universal. It's implicit instead of explicit. People buy it without needing to know what it is. Why would most consumers care about the name of an operating system? It's unimportant. It's not like I remember the exact model of my TV or car, the important thing is that I can watch one and drive the other.

Re:iPad 9.7‑inch by squeaky-clean on Tuesday March 21, 2017 @04:18PM (#13925834)
I've actually been saying this since the 3G came out, so we sort of agree. I thought that was the start of the stupidest naming convention, and we're all just watching it get worse throughout the years. At least until the 6 they weren't releasing multiple phones at the same time.

I'm just waiting for "iPhone 10, iPhone 10 Plus, iPhone 10 Air, iPhone 10 Air Plus, iPhone 10 Pro, iPhone 10 Pro Plus, iPhone SE 3, iPhone SE 3G"

> It's not like I remember the exact model of my TV or car

I really hope you know the make, model and year of your car, you need that for basic repairs. My 2004 Corolla takes parts of a 2003-2007 Corolla for most repairs, and runs best with a certain type of oil. Why would you not know this for an expensive device requiring maintenance?

Your TV isn't the same. It doesn't matter if it's 720p, 1080p, or 4k, or what the color resolution is, if it has an HDMI cable that will work.

Your phone is more like a car in that comparison. Things change so frequently, new software, updates (lack of updates), new wireless or hardware standards... An iPhone 5 in 2012 is a very different experience than an iPhone 5 in 2017. But I'm still using the same cheap Dynex "HD" TV for a decade. I can plug in a disk player or streaming device that weren't even conceived of when my TV was sold.

Re:iPad 9.7‑inch by moonbug on Tuesday March 21, 2017 @05:44PM (#13926547)
> Why would you not know this for an expensive device requiring maintenance?

Because when it breaks or needs maintenance they take it to a garage like any normal person.

Re:iPad 9.7‑inch by reitanqild on Wednesday March 22, 2017 @07:14AM (#13930001)
I guess you didn't plan on labeling a whole lot of people as not normal? ;-)
Re:iPad 9.7‑inch by recursive on Wednesday March 22, 2017 @10:36AM (#13931253)
> runs best with a certain type of oil

I'm 36, and I didn't know this. I thought there was a universal scale of goodness for oil. I bought a new car last summer, and I couldn't tell you the exact model either. I think this is fairly common.

Re:iPad 9.7‑inch by talldan on Saturday March 25, 2017 @07:18AM (#13955056)
I do know the basic make, model and year (it's on the number plate in the UK). However, there are lots of extra letters and numbers that identify the exact model. It's all documented, so no need to actually remember it.
Re:iPad 9.7‑inch by pythonaut_16 on Tuesday March 21, 2017 @11:29AM (#13923050)
I agree that all of the sub-versions of the iPhone are slightly confusing, but at least they generally follow a pattern.

There's always a clear progression, a higher number is always better than a lower number, and adding an S is an incremental upgrade over the non-S version. The Plus is always a larger size than normal.

The G series and C series have complicated things, but generally speaking you just have to pick a number and then pick one of ~3 options at that level.