Amazon Hits Apple with New 'Three Kindles for the Price of an iPad' Commercial

[trainwrecka]

I think many people underestimate the recognition and awareness of the average consumer. Many people don't look and see "oh, this is cheaper than an iPad, it must be better", not even average consumers. People that might think that are likely to be less involved in tech stuff and may just want to get a tablet of some sort, but that's arguably not even the "average" consumer anymore.

I know a lot of "average" consumers who - despite me singing the praises of the iPad and the problems of other tablets - thought a Fire or Nook Color would be the same thing. They don't think that after owning it and then trying out an iPad, but at that point they can't return it.

 

[BuzzMega]

Smart to keep oldies

I was very disappointed in Apple for two items.

First, the utter collapse of Final Cut Pro 7 when FCPX appeared. Randy Ubilos tossed over a BILLION hours of experience into the wind in that completely unnecessary move. They could have kept the old, established suite for two more years, and everybody would have felt supported and acknowledged for their ongoing loyalty.

Second, the compete disappearance of the Gen 5 iPod Nano—the one with the little video camera—when the new, "improved" Gen 6 appeared. That probably cost them hundreds of millions, unnecessarily. Now it seems that they're adding a camera in Gen 7.

If they replace something that includes all of the previous, plus more and better features, the only reason to keep selling the previous version would be to provide a lower-cost step-down. That's not a bad strategy.

To keep the iPad 2 as a lower-cost option is a very good idea. For textbooks, they're quite adequate enough. We who want the latest, greatest would sell our old ones. Or pass them down.

Now if we could just convince Apple to tweak FCP7 into FCP8, I would withdraw my grumble.

 

[mantan]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

Is it just me or is amazon shooting themselves in the foot with this one. Why the hell would I wanna carry around 2 or 3 kindles instead of 1 iPad.

As many others have pointed out....their point was a family can have multiple devices that do different things for less money than fighting over an iPad.

 

[jontech]

You've never actually used a Kindle, have you? The impression you get from the screen is very much akin to physical ink on a physical piece of paper.

For pure reading, the Kindle trumps the iPad. Course the iPad can do 1000x more, but that's not the point here. If you want a tablet just to read books, the Kindle is the far better device.

I have had two kindles thus my review of the device

I just don't like the Eink, it looks unnatural

to each his or her own I guess

 

[mantan]

Methinks you have a fundamental misunderstanding of product pipelines. By the time a product is introduced, you know that its sequel is well under development right?

My point was those things in the pipeline got a lot more innovative when they felt their was a legitimate threat in the market place. A lot of early updates (MMS, landscape keyboard) were things that were asked for since the very first version of the iPhone. Things that were already standard in the marketplace.

You really don't think it took multiple product/iOS cycles to get that to market? And that the iPhone 4 was just their big plan all along whether or not Android came on the scene?

 

[Kaibelf]

I can buy 3 fast food cheeseburgers for the price of a steak. I would only regret one of those options.

 

[MordechaiCarver]

Sorry, I really hadn't gotten that from your original comment. My bad.

That's why I added the "myself included" into the 2nd comment.

First comment was focused on picking apart what was said in the ad (because that NEVER happens in real life )

Second comment was focused on the ad as a whole.

 

[69Voltage]

Let's be real guys ... you can't downplay the value proposition of getting 3 Kindles for the price of an iPad. I think Amazon is smart to play this angle since it puts some perspective on how much money you are really spending.

Maybe so, but why would I want to carry around 3 Kindles to accomplish what one iPad can? That's what I get out of this advertisement.

 

[highdough]

It's never good to bring up your competitor in a product. Apple's advertising (which is amongst the best in the biz) focuses on what you can do with your product which neatly avoids the sort of trash that Samsung and now Amazon are resorting to.

If you're going to bring up your competitor then you better damn well to avoid manipulating people. Macdonalds puts their nutritional information for all to see. Eat at your own risk.

All Amazon has done here is engaged in trashy braggadocio.

Apple did that as well recently with the "Well you don't have an iPhone" add and wised up and canned the add.

People need to expect more than moronic advertisements laced with half truths.

So I'm guessing you never saw the rather successful and memorable Mac vs PC ads, then. Like it or not, the iPad is the dominant tablet on the market. Any other tablet is going to be compared to it, whether or not the manufacturer wants it to. Amazon is putting it out in the open and showing that their tablet, in fact, has advantages over the tablet that is currently dominating the market.

And this whole "half truths" complaint is, I'm sorry to be blunt, incredibly bogus. Advertising is all about half truths. McDonalds doesn't put their nutritional information in their commercials. I live in Vancouver, and we got blitzed by McDonalds ads during the Olympics with athletes basically talking about how they eat McDonalds food. In other words, if a world class athlete eats at McDonalds, you should to!

As I stated, Apple has never mentioned in one ad that the iPad doesn't run flash. I don't see you complaining about that.

 

[sir1963nz]

Of course the reply is
Oh, yes I have the kindle app on my iPad too, and the Kobo app, and iBooks app, I have access to 3 different book stores on my one machine. And have you seen those new iBooks with all the interactive stuff in them, its like WOW.

No ?, so you are saying that to get the same as flexibility as the iPad you need 3 different Kindles, a Kobo and an iPad. You may as well save money and get just the iPad.

 

[MH01]

wow some big news today and everyone is getting their panties twisted again because someone has a commercial against apple.

Stop spitting the dummies, you all loved the I'm a Mac / I'm a PC commercials, geez take it on the chin..... this carrying on with the samsung commercial and now amazon makes fanboys look like douchbags.

Ipad 3 is coming.... breath

 

[nuckinfutz]

So I'm guessing you never saw the rather successful and memorable Mac vs PC ads, then. Like it or not, the iPad is the dominant tablet on the market. Any other tablet is going to be compared to it, whether or not the manufacturer wants it to. Amazon is putting it out in the open and showing that their tablet, in fact, has advantages over the tablet that is currently dominating the market.

And this whole "half truths" complaint is, I'm sorry to be blunt, incredibly bogus. Advertising is all about half truths. McDonalds doesn't put their nutritional information in their commercials. I live in Vancouver, and we got blitzed by McDonalds ads during the Olympics with athletes basically talking about how they eat McDonalds food. In other words, if a world class athlete eats at McDonalds, you should to!

As I stated, Apple has never mentioned in one ad that the iPad doesn't run flash. I don't see you complaining about that.

Those adds made Apple look like a small time player and back then they were. My point stands whether you look through an Apple filtered lens or Amazon. Mentioning your competitor is poor business.

Amazon indeed has pricing advantages but that's about it when you take a closer look. The adds were "ok" but much like the Samsung commercials they rely on buffoonery from the Apple owner rather than extolling the virtues of their platform.

 

[GuitarDTO]

Simmer down turbos. It's a commercial.....pretty good one too. Lame analogies are lame, we get it...hamburger vs. steak, Kia vs. range rover...yada yada. It's a well placed ad for it's intended targets.

I'm still getting an iPad 3 though

 

[dgalvan123]

Maybe so, but why would I want to carry around 3 Kindles to accomplish what one iPad can? That's what I get out of this advertisement.

How could you get that message from the ad?

The ad was pointing out that you could get 2 Fire's and a regular Kindle for less than the price of one ipad. Not that you need 3 devices to do all the things that 1 ipad can do.

Besides, if you are just talking about sunlit reading and watching movies and surfing the web (which is all the functionality mentioned in the ad), you'd just need 2 devices (1 e-ink kindle and 1 kindle Fire), not 3. Also, the iPad has many other functions not mentioned in the ad, AND the ipad is not great for reading in direct sunlight. So I don't see why everyone is bringing up this point of "needing 3 devices for what just 1 ipad can do".

Amazon wasn't even going there with this ad. They were just saying that the cheap kindle is the best device for reading in the sun, and if you want to watch movies or browse the web you can get a Fire, and even getting a second Fire still puts you under the cost of just one ipad.

 

[uknowimright]

I thought Idiocracy was based on a true story?

sometimes I'm too optimistic

 

[fourthtunz]

Nah....

Nope, I'll keep my multipurpose Ipad2 and buy a crapload of real books instead of a kindle!

 

[mutantteenager]

It's an advert. It's pretty effective at advertising the products on offer.

Is it true that you can buy three kindles for the price of an ipad? Yes.

Is it true that the kindle is better in sunlight than an ipad? Yes.

So what's so bad about this advert?

It's just a competitor pointing out a few features which they think are better than their competitor's product. Nothing to see here, especially if you're happy with your ipad.

----------

Well, if three people in your home have a commute, and your only choices are 1 range rover or 3 kia's, then the rio becomes a superior car.

Also, you can buy 5 Rios for the starting price of a Range Rover.

Yes but what about average fuel consumption? 3 Kia's x 45MPG vs 1 Range Rover x 29MPG!! I mean think about it....then think about the cost of servicing, adding in depreciation.... you're right the kindle is cheaper than an ipad!

 

[definitive]

great, they're comparing the screen of the ipad to regular kindle, and the ability to play videos/video games to kindle fire. why not just compare ipad to kindle fire without wasting time on the classic kindle.

 

[mymac8apc]

lack of features

I guess they will need to come out with a 4th Kindle with a camera, bluetooth, video out and a larger screen

 

[OneOkami]

Yeah it does, but if you want to do more one of these days, you'll have to buy more ponies. Just get the thoroughbred and do more.

To quote the lovely lady in the ad:

"I've got a Kindle Fire for that".

And to reiterate one of the points of the ad, she actually has two of them, allowing each of her kids to use one while she reads on arguably the best e-reader you can buy. And she still paid less money than the cost of one iPad 2.

But don't forget one of my points as well. There is value in quality products one could afford to buy for the family and not just for themselves/one person. To decide to "Just get the thoroughbred" can result in sacrificing that value. And like I said, some people only need the pony to do that one trick and do it well. My brothers and I bought our parents an iPad 2 for Christmas. They rarely use it but continue to read on their Kindles all the time.

 

[batchtaster]

What is the Kindle Fire so substandard at that you also need to buy a regular old Kindle? Movies from the sound of it. It sounds a little bit like that you need to buy 3 Kindles, rather than can buy 3 Kindles.

 

[MissRachel]

I think the Kindle Fire is a good solution for people who don't have a dedicated eReader or a tablet and want both. We bought my grandmother one for Christmas, and she loves it. She would have been fine with an iPad, too, sure, but she would never have made use of all of the features that an iPad has. A Fire is fine for her. It's fine for my mom, too, in case my grandma was a bad example (since older people are supposed to be less-than-technologically inclined). My mom doesn't have a kindle or other tablet sort of device, either. But, we also have an iPad 1 in the house and it still wipes the floor with the Kindle Fire as far as tablets are concerned. It can do everything the Fire can do, plus more. That, and we're already so entrenched in the "Apple ecosystem" that having an Apple-branded tablet just makes more sense.

I have a Kindle 2 and I see no reason to get a Kindle Fire. I am, however, hoping to get an iPad 3 or 4 (whichever is around next year) to use alongside my Kindle for textbooks and notes.

 

[Moyank24]

What is the Kindle Fire so substandard at that you also need to buy a regular old Kindle? Movies from the sound of it. It sounds a little bit like that you need to buy 3 Kindles, rather than can buy 3 Kindles.

I think the point was - everyone in the family can enjoy one for the price of just 1 iPad. Exemplified by the fact that she was reading on her kindle and the kids were watching videos or whatever on the Fire.

I don't understand why everyone is overthinking this one. It's not like this ad is going to have any effect whatsoever on sales of the iPad.

 

[Anijake]

And the cheapest 3G iPad costs *three* times as much on top of AT&T/Verizon fees. Yeah, that's real comparable.

It's amazing how posters here just don't get that not everyone can afford iPads and certainly not for *every member* of the family which is what Amazon is specifically pointing out the Kindle makes possible.

They are showing an app being played at the pool which in most cases can not be done on that device.

And unlike most other tablets there is no data contract on the iPad. Turn it on when on a trip, turn it off when get home.

 

[ChrisA]

Talk about an ad that will "backfire". Next maybe Sears or JC Penney will have an ad that says "Our running shoes are 1/3rd the price of good running shoes". How far can one get by claiming "our stuff is cheap"?