The iPad and why it's good without the "3"

About a week ago, the next generation iPad was announced and released. "The new iPad" has a much better screen, a better processor with better graphics, a new iSight camera, and various other changes and improvements. Certainly a step up from the iPad 2. Why, then, doesn't its name show that? It isn't the iPad 3, it's just iPad, according to Apple. There was a general uproar from the Apple fanboys and really anyone who payed attention to Apple and could see a pattern being broken. First comes the iPad, next the iPad 2, so where is the iPad 3? We have had iPod Touch 1 through 4. Why did the iPads stop at 2? The answer may lie in another part of Apple's marketing: Macs. Macintosh computers, or Macs, have been around awhile. Was the first iMac released called iMac 1, then the second iMac 2? No, they've never been numbered. This can be seen with Macbooks as well. Macbook Pros are continually refreshed, but do you ever hear about the Macbook Pro 7? No, just the mid-2011 Macbook. Apple knew the Macs were going to have a legacy, a long-running future ahead of them, and a number system would have gotten old. So, they kept it simple. This could very well be the fate of the iPad, meaning the lack of a "3" could be a good sign. It could mean Apple sees the iPad going far, and by the sixth iPad, the naming would just get repetitive. If consumers saw the launch of the iPad 3, iPad 4, and iPad 5, what's the excitement in the name "iPad 6"? The new name could show strength in the line, and hopefully a long and prosperous future for the iPad.