By: Steve RetkaThe recent launch announcement of Apple’s new touchpad sent the blogosphere abuzz with commentary...sort of...
But it wasn’t the 10-inch touchscreen or lightweight, half-inch thick dimensions that got people talking. It wasn’t the 1GHz processor or its ability to run existing apps from the popular iPhone either.
You see, before Apple CEO Steve Jobs could even finish his presentation on the newest addition to the budding technology medium of touchpads, he sent the Internet atwitter with the announcement of the new product’s name...the iPad.
Yes, the iPad. While it sounds like a bad pun from a late-night TV host, the iPad is indeed what Apple decided to call their $500-700 technological achieve. Naturally, this reduced adults all across the various social networks to giggling like 3rd graders while making jokes about certain personal hygiene products.
In fact, the iPad’s name alone garnered so much attention that the word “iTampon” shot up towards the top of Twitter’s Trends list, becoming the third most-talked about trend the day the product was announced.
Now that a week has passed since the iPad announcement sent bloggers into a whirlwind of laughs and snickers, the only thing that’s clear about this product is that it’s getting more than an ample amount of attention. A google search for “iPad” brings in 31.1 million page hits, with reactions and debates ranging from hateful mocking to christening the iPad as the defining technological advancement of our generation. And while it’s doubtful that it will fit into either of these extremes, it certainly proved the power of a product’s name.
Steve is a contributing writer for the Daily Axioms blog. He graduated with a Bachelor's in Broadcasting/Journalism and Public Relations from North Dakota State University, and is currently interning at Axiom Marketing Communications.