Apple recently filed a trademark application for the name “Mac Pro” - indicating that the future Macs might no longer be called “PowerMacs” - but “Mac Pros”. Although this name sounds much better than their MacBook Pro debacle - there is still the unresolved issue of what to do with the consumer machines.
When the “MacBook Pro” name was dropped on the public like a ten-pound pile of horse manure, people thought “Well, that makes sense - they can call the intel iBooks the ‘MacBook’ and have continuity in their line.” This logic, however, would also mean that if Apple called their professional-grade Mac’s the “Mac Pro” that they would then call their consumer grade macs simply “Mac.” This would mean that Apple would be slapping their biggest brand on one of their cheapest products - all by itself. No “Mac Junior” or “Mac Cheap” - just simply “Mac.” It is highly unlikely that Apple will do this.
I believe that the biggest delay in pushing out more intel-based machines is this dilemma over the name. I have the solution. Call the professional ones the “Pro” and the consumer ones the “Po” - for the “po folk”. This would help distinguish the high-end computers from the low-end ones, and give people with the extra money more reasons to buy the “Pro” (nobody who can afford not to would want to buy the “Po”) In addition, the use of ebonics in the brand naming strategy can help them sieze the lucrative African-American market - which spends twice as much time online as the caucasian market.
Here’s how the naming strategy would go:
- MacBook Pro - for “professionals” that want slower machines with less features than they can get in a G4 PowerBoook.
- MacBook Po - for “the rest of us” who want even less features than you can get in a MacBook Pro
- Mac Pro - for the “professionals” who need affirmation that they really are “pro’s” in their field
- Mac Po - for people who only use a computer to play Nanosaur and read email
They could have an add campaign with a bunch of homeless people using computers, with the caption “Think Po”… They could have TV spots starring well known poor people (okay, they would have to find well known poor people, but they’re Apple. They can convince people that not having a screen on a music player is a lifestyle decision - they can find famous poor people.)
If anyone would like to make a few mock ads for this “Think Po” campaign - or maybe come up with what you think the form factor for the “MacBook Po” would look like - feel free to submit them to me 
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