What pops into your brain when you first hear the name "iPad"? For many people, the name for Apple’s new tablet computer did not bring to mind a computer product at all. Journalists, bloggers, and marketing professionals alike have called the name iPad “terrible”, as it reminds them of feminine products. “Are there any women in Apple marketing?” asked the founder of a technology PR firm. “The first impression of every single woman I’ve spoken to is that [the name iPad] is cringe-inducing. It indicates to me that there wasn’t a lot of testing or feedback.” Experts are worried that this bad naming decision could hurt sales since women account for about 40 percent of gadget spending¹.

With the fierce competition going on in our global village, parents are now trying to give the best of everything to their children, expecting the little ones of today to make a big difference tomorrow. Traditionally, tender loving care and early childhood education were considered necessary, but has a linguistic check for baby names now also been added to the to-do list for parents?

At the recent 2009 Guangzhou Auto Show, Shanghai Volkswagen unveiled a modestly face-lifted Volkswagen Tiguan. The Chinese name was also officially released as “途观” (tú guān). 途 means a road, route, or journey, and is also used in 前途 (qiántú) meaning future, career, and prospects. 观 as a noun means “view”, and when used as a verb means to look at, watch, or observe. Overall, the name”途观” (tú guān) implies that by driving Tiguan you can reach destinations that others cannot achieve, and appreciate unprecedented landscapes.

According to a plan recently released by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC), China is now striving to improve the quality of its trademark-related services to meet various demands. It is expected that the cycle of trademark examination will be reduced to less than 10 months in 2012. Meanwhile, the maximum cycle for receiving objections and approving accreditation will also be decreased to 20 months. These changes indicate that trademark applications will become more convenient, thereby encouraging companies to set up their brands in China.

Recently, Microsoft officially unveiled the Chinese name for Bing.com, their brand-new search engine, as “必应”（bì yìng）. Bing decided to have a Chinese name to show that they value the Chinese market and to help localize their brand. This is a noteworthy case of Chinese naming, as the English name sounds Chinese to begin with, and if not translated carefully could have many negative connotations.

RadioShack, the 88-year-old consumer electronic chain, is undergoing some major changes to refresh its brand. The main re-branding effort is the change of name from RadioShack to “The Shack”.

Starbucks announced it is opening a new store serving beer and wine along with coffee and tea by revamping one of its own cafes. Starbucks logo will not appear on the facade of the store, nor will it be on any product that the Seattle-area store sells. The remodeled store will be called “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea” and is expected to be unveiled on July 24th.