I’m a fan of the Kindle, I really am. With books on the whole going by the wayside, the Kindle is the closest I and my ilk will be able to get to a traditional reading experience over the next few decades. But that’s okay – that e-ink screen is just the cat’s ass once you use it IRL for the first time. Never change, Kindle. You’re just what you need to be.
But Kindle never was one to proudly take its place in the tech ecosystem, and this latest TV spot sort of just makes Amazon seem sorta douchey.
The ad stresses the fact that an iPad is virtually unreadable in direct sunlight, much unlike a Kindle.
Okay, Kindle, now what? No doubt, you’re the best at what you do, and I love you for it. But are you seriously spending these advertising dollars on trying to equate yourself to an iPad? Really? Yeah, you’re only 139 bucks, and that’s totally rad. And yes, the iPad is total crap in sunlight. This is an undeniable axiom. But sometimes, I want to play Plants vs. Zombies. And if I were crazy enough to buy an iPad in the first place, I’d probably be willing to sacrifice the poolside device-flashing for it.
I don’t think the point of the ad is that kindles are better than iPads. The ad is simply saying that the iPad is not a suffecient replacement for the kindle. The iPad is in a largely different price range also, so you can play Plants vs. Zombies on the $849 device with a full OS with a decent book reader, while book readers read in the sunlight for $139.
“But are you seriously spending these advertising dollars on trying to equate yourself to an iPad?”
No, it’s dismissing the iPad claims that it removes the need to buy a Kindle.
Where do you read the most? I tend to read on trains, at the beach, by the pool – all places with uncontrolled lighting situations. Stop being an Apple Apologist. 😉
What a Douche Kindle fan
Apple is marketing the iPad as a e-reader, that’s why they made the comparison.
I don’t own a e-reader yet, since I like paper and dislike the fact that a digital book costs the same (or more) than the paper version.
For instance, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Larsson is $ 6.99 in paperback, but $ 9,94 in the Kindle-shop. So they save up on paper, printing and trasportation, but charge more.
Once they sell books for € 2,50, I could be convinced.
And yes, it will probably be a kindle.
Books are free for the Kindle. Its called the internet. Learn to use it. Or do you pay for the music on your iPod?
agree 100%
I have a Kindle and I love it.
iPads and Vampires hate sunlight
The dialog may be weak, but this is just the kind of message Amazon needs. The Kindle is a superior reading device that costs peanuts. The iPad is a disappointing middle class toy. Or an oversized iPod touch. Or that $800 thing I never use anymore.
The Kindle app on the iPad is very good and the iPad is readable in sunlight. In VERY bright sunlight it helps if you read white text on a black background. Oh do kindle show people reading the Kindle in a dark bedroom or at night? I do this all the time on my iPad. There are many aadd-on lights for the kindle for this reason. I like the kindle but it is a one trick pony. The iPad is a many trick pony. It is my ipod my TV my ebook reader my PSP my DS my note taker my drawing pad my wikipedia and so on.
Kindle in dark = fail without add-ons. iPad in sunlight = OK if reverse text.
@PeterSW
You realize that reading off of an LCD screen in the dark is putting a lot of strain on your eyes. It’s the same reason that TV manufacturers don’t recommend sitting very close to the TV or watching it in a dark room. Getting the light attachment for the kindle, on the other hand points the light toward the liquid paper and not at your eyes. Which will cause less problems in the future.
As a reading device the iPad is mediocre at best. It gets the job done as long as your only reading for a short time in a well lit room, but otherwise you are causing a lot of potential issues for your eyes in the future.
For me, I prefer to go the rest of my life causing as few health problems as possible. I do, after all, have to live with my body for the rest of my life.
Well… that was a pretty crappy advertisement. Not because of the message or anything, just purely based on the shoddy job that the actors did.
“I spent less on these sunglasses!” she says, delivered in the least interested tone ever. Well done Amazon, well done.
I just got my kindle and I LOVE it! but yes this ad does seem very douchey.
If the reflective glare is the issue, couldn’t you just put on one of those satin surface screen protectors?
Yeah yeah, the iPad is great, providing you want to remain indoors. LCDs are still rubbish in sunlight. Maybe when they get over their super reflective screens we’ll be able to use out slates and smartphones without having to worry about the sun.
What’s with the creepy laugh at the end of the commercial?
How about a book… it’s cheaper than both and you can read it in the sunlight, and if it drops in the pool you can just dry it out or buy another one, this is advertising lacking any imagination!