this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2025
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I get the logic here but I just don’t think most people think like this. Products are called the “Honda Accord” and the “Apple iPhone” and the “Cordless handheld vacuum” for a reason.
Maybe these code names make sense for the actual engineers working on them. But only the nerdiest of the nerdiest of nerdy consumers will remember a couple of these names. In my line of work I’ve spent a couple decades with a ton of regular folks, non-techy people. You might be surprised how many of them can barely remember what number of iPhone they’re on, and don’t even think about asking them which version of iOS is installed.
TBC: This is not a knock against people who aren’t neck-deep in every industry of every product they own. I couldn’t tell you which engine is in my Hyundai Tuscon or which generation of motor is in my cordless vacuum.
I just think these names are gibberish, probably greenlit by people who don’t think about this stuff. But they aren’t effective names for regular consumers.
As an IT person who has to tell a non it purchasing department what to buy, no. The code names are specific things that return the exact thing you want when searched on stuff like CDW and B&H, and having to explain exact drive space, memory, ecc vs non ecc would be torture. A simple code they can just copy and paste and get exactly what you want is far more efficient.
Totally get that, makes a lot of sense. Although my original point wasn’t about professionals in technical or business settings, I was talking about regular folks. These are consumer products but they’re commonly referred to with technical/engineering names. I think it feels clunky and makes it tough for regular folks to talk about these.
When people tell their friends they got a new iPhone, they don’t say “awe check it out I got the new MYWD3LL/A.” They just say “I got the iPhone 16 Pro Max.” Simple language. There’s gotta be a middle ground here for regular folks.
You actually gave a good example for why these brand names are useless.
How many doors does a Honda Accord have? What type of engine does it have?
It's impossible to answer even these very basic questions, because there are so many different Honda Accords that the name could refer to almost anything. It could be a station wagon with a diesel engine, a four-door hybrid sedan, a hatchback, a SUV etc.
In fact monitors do usually have fancy brand names like Predator, ROG Swift or UltraGear that function exactly like the Accord name, giving you some hint as to where the manufacturer think it belongs in their product stack. They just aren't useful for identifying a specific model, and since there are so many different models, you need the alphabet soup to make sure we are talking about the same thing.
I was trying to keep my examples simple for the point but cars usually have sub-brand designations that answer some or most of your questions. Like “LE” or “XR” and such. But people don’t walk around telling each other they drive a “Honda 8CVXY64LLM123GRV,” because most people don’t remember code names like that. They just say “yeah I drive an Accord, it has features x y and z that I really like.”
People don't walk around telling each other they use an "ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27ACDNG" either. They'll say they have a "27 inch OLED", or possibly a "27 inch 1440p OLED from Asus".
You could use the sub-brand and say you had an "Asus ROG Strix" if you wanted, but all that might tell someone is that it's from Asus' midrange gaming segment.
The unique id is simply handy to keep the many models apart. Asus has 217 displays listed on their (US) store. They have 14 different 27" 1440p displays under the ROG Strix brand alone, three of which are OLEDs and you better not get them confused because they use different OLED technology.
Would it be better if they had more diverse product names instead? I'm not so sure. With so many models you'd probably end up with something like the "ASUS ROG Strix Centurion Speed² Ultra+ Black", and I don't think that's any easier than "XG27ACDNG", which at least is short.
But the model number isn't really the "name" either. That would be "Alienware 34-inch Monitor", from that year, etc. That they don't call that their "Mars" line of monitors is maybe a marketing issue, but the thing people want to know first/most about a tv/monitor is how big it is.
Cars and Phones have product numbers that break down the same way but like you say the general public doesn't refer to them that way. Like the Samsung Galaxy S24 instead of "SM-S928U", which is the North American (T-Mobile?) specific model.
Youre right. "Cordless handheld vacuum" is a descriptor and not "the name of a product".
In fact, on the Alienware website, the product is called 'Alienware 34" Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor - AW3423DWF'
Alienware 34" curved QD-OLED gaming monitor sounds a LOT like exactly what you described. And then the SKU is tacked on to the end because they sell multiple various models of of 34" curved QD-OLED gaming monitors, and people are going to want to get the right one, so they make it prominent.
Sure but the thing with TVs is a manufacturer will over 15 different SKUs of "a TV" that are all pretty different. Plus, a lot of the times (especially for TVs) they will still have a "normal" name.
Like Alienware sells a few different "Alienware 27 Gaming" monitors. But they only sell on "AW2725DM"