Newer, but is it better?

Today I bought the Lonely Planet's guide to New England. And then it struck me the name of the region is a little odd. Is it meant to be like England, but newer? And what does that mean? If I buy a new pair of shoes, they're probably going to be quite like what my old shoes looked like 6 months ago. But if I buy a new computer, it'll be a lot better than my old one, now or ever. So which is it for New England?