The New IPad Name Should Be ‘IPad 4G’

Apple released its latest tablet device--the new iPad--but while all of the improved features wooed bloggers, journalists and fans alike, one fact was left lingering in the minds of those that had closely followed the event: The name of the new iPad did not follow the precedent of names set by previous iterations of the device.

Presenters Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, and Philip Schiller, vice president of Apple, avoided saying the name of the new iPad throughout most the show. It left many journalists reporting at the event puzzled, wondering why the company would hold off on revealing the name.

Still not hearing what the new iPad is called, said Anthony DeRosa, a social media editor at Reuters. Is it the iPad 3 or is Apple abandoning the numbering altogether?

Cook keeps referring to it as the 'new iPad,' he said.

Alas, as the presentation came to a close, Cook stepped back out onto the stage to address all the things that had been announced. Behind him was a projected image that said The new iPad. And then, the show ended.

And that's the end of the show, tweeted Alexei Oreskovic, a tech reporter for Reuters. Did I miss the name of this new iPad?

The Case for the Name 'iPad 4G'

The inclusion of 4G LTE technology defines the new iPad more than any other technology in the device, including the high-definition screen. Until today, Apple has largely ignored 4G LTE technology. Even previous versions of the iPhone have not included 4G LTE.

The technology's critical importance is underscored by a recent comment during a ZDNet discussion on business phones. One writer noted that 4G LTE is essential for business travelers. I believe a large portion of business users that have been in exit mode from BlackBerry will not find any of the current iPhones as attractive as they could have been had they been launched with 4G, said Jason Perlow.

There's something to be said for 8+ megabits per second wireless tethering from your hotel on the road from your business laptop or tablet that you can get on a Droid Bionic that you cannot get on an iPhone 4S, a 4 or a 3GS, he added.

The new iPad allows users to tether 4G LTE to their laptops. It specifically addresses Perlow's main complaint about the iPhone 4S. Apple will likely attract more business traveler sales because of it. Though the device isn't nearly as portable as a phone, the ability to tether a laptop to the fastest available mobile wireless connection in the country should make it much more attractive to business consumers than any other Apple product.

Apple should have highlighted this point. By doing so, they could have potentially drawn attention to the fact that the iPad is--more than ever before--can be used for mobile enterprise solutions. While the new iPad is great, it would have been greater under the moniker iPad 4G, which I assume will become the unofficial name of the device.