It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the ever-changing names of technology products and concepts.

Apple went straight to iOS 26 from iOS 18. Xiaomi skipped the 16 series for the 17. OnePlus is not releasing a 14 model. And Qualcomm's choices are even more perplexing.

Following technology news is already challenging, even for journalists. Companies are further complicating the process of monitoring new releases with unpredictable naming adjustments.

I understand that companies need to refresh aspects of their brand every so often, and updating names is part of these efforts.

However, random strategies are illogical. Xiaomi's supposed strategy is to emulate Apple. The company admitted that the only reason for abandoning its usual naming system was to position its new phones as rivals to the iPhone 17 Pro. But associating with a popular brand does not automatically confer the same status.

OnePlus will reportedly jump from 13 to 15 because the number 4 is unlucky in Chinese culture. However, using 13 was acceptable?

Qualcomm is perhaps the biggest offender. The Snapdragon 888 5G was followed by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in 2021, then last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite. Now, there is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

The company insists it did not skip a generation.

Qualcomm claims it moved to single-digit naming in 2021, and that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the fifth chip in this series. It maintains it is consistent in its naming conventions.

At least Apple's plan to align software version numbers with the calendar year makes sense.

Trying to balance my doomscrolling, my e-reader, and the television, it is difficult to keep up with the numerous, and often pointless, name changes each year.

Perhaps I should know every name, and this article is a mistake.

With many new products launching each year across various devices and software, I dislike these inconsistent changes.

The only valid reason to change a naming strategy is when a device is radically different from its predecessor. In these cases, it would be better to retire the older device, like Samsung did with the Note.

The smartphone market is highly competitive. While a large company such as Apple can afford to confuse customers with strange naming choices, other companies should be more cautious.