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Amazon Takes on iPad in New Commercial

I feel sorry for the iPad owner being unable to read outdoors. You know what's really good for cutting down glare and reflections interfering with your vision?

...an expensive pair or polarized sunglasses. :D
 
tmarks11 said:
The funny thing about this is that I think this add is actually aimed at iPad owners. They already have a little bit of a hook in us with the kindle app, but they know we can shop at iBooks, B&N, ereader, etc. If they convince iPad owners that we should buy a kindle too, that would shift our buying habits to buy ebooks exclusively at Amazon, so both platforms are supported.

Clever tactic, but the add seems to be backfiring Amon the intended customers...
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That would be me... a potential buyer who already has an iPad. And go ahead and shoot me for this, but I am tempted (hey $139 sounds like a deal) until my friends show me theirs. And then it seems like, feels like, a cheap piece of plastic with a relatively small screen and what the heck does it need all those stupid buttons for? That could be screen real estate. I got the iPad so I didn't have to carry more things around with me but less. For vacations I don't bother with my laptop anymore for example. The idea of carrying my iPad AND a kindle? Yeah, not going to happen. And I like my iPad too much to leave it behind. So. No thanks Kindle.

As for battery life? Once you get used to charging every few days.... no big deal. That I could go a few weeks? Reminds me of my razor. Where did I leave that damn charger now? No matter what the device they do run out of power.
 
SeaFox said:
I feel sorry for the iPad owner being unable to read outdoors. You know what's really good for cutting down glare and reflections interfering with your vision?

...an expensive pair or polarized sunglasses. :D
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Plus nobody is talking about skin cancer.

Why are people out in the sun anyways...

I remember I used to bake away in the sun all day every day as a kid/teenager/young adult...

Now I shrink from the sun like a vampire. I can't even imagine intentionally spending time sitting out in direct sunlight for no good reason.
 
The Kindle is a much better e-reader than the iPad in all conditions. (If it's dark, you turn on a light, just like with a real book).

Having said that the iPad is good enough for most conditions, and is a decent backup. But if you are an avid reader and just want to lie down on the couch and *read* for 2-3 hours (or more), the Kindle is hands down the winner. The screen is much better, the size is much better, 8.5 oz is much better.

But if you want a multipurpose device that allows you to surf the web, play games - and maybe do a little reading - the iPad is good enough.

But if you're an avid reader who is interested in an iPad, you should just get both.
 
The Kindle is a much better e-reader!

alhedges said:
The Kindle is a much better e-reader than the iPad in all conditions. (If it's dark, you turn on a light, just like with a real book).

Having said that the iPad is good enough for most conditions, and is a decent backup. But if you are an avid reader and just want to lie down on the couch and *read* for 2-3 hours (or more), the Kindle is hands down the winner. The screen is much better, the size is much better, 8.5 oz is much better.

But if you want a multipurpose device that allows you to surf the web, play games - and maybe do a little reading - the iPad is good enough.

But if you're an avid reader who is interested in an iPad, you should just get both.
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Nice post, couldn't agree more! :)
 
linux2mac said:
Are you sure you don't want to spend $139 for the single task device? :D
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How does the price correlate to what it does? I can think of many devices that perform only a single task. The Kindle at $139 is a great value for a solid e-reader.

Despite what a lot of people in this thread believe, the Kindle and Ipad are not competitors. And the ad is strictly targeting the e-reader market.

For what it's worth, I have a Kindle 3 and plan on getting the next iPad. I don't know why it is so hard for people to understand the value each provides.
 
I've got books on all 5 (kindle app on iPhone, kindle on MacBook, Kindle 2, iPad, paperback and hardcover books from the library).

They each have their place. The iPad is great for the couch and in meetings, the MacBook for the desk, the Kindle 2 for outdoors and carrying on the treadmill. The iPhone works best for me for reading in bed, because someone will get mad if I turn a light on (and the iPad is a bit too big). And even the newest hardcover books from the library are free.
 
duck apple said:
Apple can easily refuted it with an ad depicting the man reading on the bed with his wife/girl sleeping at the side, without any lighting in the room.

Now, think of it. Is it more frequent and practical reading in the comfort of room or reading at the pool side in the risk of sunburn?

And, guys, half the population on the globe try their best to avoid direct sunlight.
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Yes but reading or viewing any backlit and flicking screen disrupts your sleep cycle. If what you want to do is read and that's all you want to do then you are better off with an e-ink (or pixelQ) device like kindle and well a nice reading lamp. Plus eBooks are space and weight saving to boot.

The next ad in the series should be an attack on dead tree books with the same chick at airline check in.
 
MattInOz said:
Yes but reading or viewing any backlit and flicking screen disrupts your sleep cycle.
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Errr...so does a reading light. And I'd love to see any data that would indicate that flicking a screen is less restful than turning a page--which requires MUCH higher coordination.

As in the ad, reading in sunlight Kindle = Win,
but reading in bed, iPad = Win
 
Isn't that the same actress that played the customer service agent in a call center in that never ending American Express Blue commercial a few years back? I think Anna Zielinski
 
It would be great if Apple countered with an ad of a guy and girl reading different devices. The guy is reading his iPad the shade while the girl is reading her kindle in the sun. Cut to a scene depicting a few hours later of the girl with a massive sunburn and the guy gives her some snarky response about her "cheap" e-reader like "hope it came with a free bottle of sunscreen" or something to that effect.
 
pwned-chien-chat_20090902_1261751432.jpg
 
jont1967 said:
I have got both, got my new Kindle 3 the other day and both devices sit really nicely together for me. The Kindle replaces carrying around books not my Ipad, the screen is just fantastic for reading, and on the new devices the responsiveness and page turns are really nippy. Tried the Kindle app on my Ipad prior to buying it and I'm afraid it just didn't really feel comfortable for reading, same with iBooks really.

Jonathan.
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I had a Kindle 2 and sold it several months ago after I got the iPad. I was NOT impressed by the E-Ink screen. I didn't notice any difference from LCD and E-ink! Both wore my eyes out after a few hours.

However, I just took shipment on the new K-3 and I have to say for reading it is simply awesome and now my main ebook reader! Yes it's that good! I use to state that the LCD screen was as good as an E-ink display. BUT, now with the new screen on the K-3 I gotta eat my words as IM now reading a lot more and a lot longer with none of the fatigue I got from the K-2 screen or the iPad!

I still use and plan on using the ipad for everything else and Love it! BUT, once again the new K-3 E-ink display is the best ebook reader I have used and to me, it's a keeper and fits in nicely with all my gadgetry!--)))

I'd highly recommend the K-3 for reading and the Ipad for everything else! ;)
 
nsayer said:
Who pays $139 for sunglasses?

What, are they prescription?
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Check the prices on high quality sunglasses - $139 is pretty cheap.

The last time I was in Maui I bought 3 pairs (my 3rd, 4th and 5th) of Maui Jim's at a great price of $175 each. They're $162 for used on eBay right now. (other Maui Jim prices)

SugarBeachLG.jpg


Any of the good brands (Oakley, Maui Jim, Ray-Ban, etc) are in the $150-$250 range. Go for the "designer" stuff (Gucci, Bvlgari, Ralph Lauren, ...) and it's easy to double that price.

You can save money buying from one of the rotating sunglass displays at Walmart, but wouldn't you rather be sure that your sunglasses block all the harmful UV rays, and eliminate glare (Maui Jim uses 9-layer polarizing filters, bi-gradient reflective coatings, and anti-reflective coatings).

If you spend a bit more to buy an Apple, why not investigate quality items for your other purchases?
 
AidenShaw said:
Check the prices on high quality sunglasses - $139 is pretty cheap.

The last time I was in Maui I bought 3 pairs (my 3rd, 4th and 5th) of Maui Jim's at a great price of $175. They're $162 for used on eBay right now. (other Maui Jim prices)

SugarBeachLG.jpg


Any of the good brands (Oakley, Maui Jim, Ray-Ban, etc) are in the $150-$250 range. Go for the "designer" stuff (Gucci, Bvlgari, Ralph Lauren, ...) and it's easy to double that price.

You can save money buying from one of the rotating sunglass displays at Walmart, but wouldn't you rather be sure that your sunglasses block all the harmful UV rays, and eliminate glare (Maui Jim uses 9-layer polarizing filters, bi-gradient reflective coatings, and anti-reflective coatings).

If you spend a bit more to buy an Apple, why not investigate quality items for your other purchases?
Click to expand...

Very true, my glasses are Oakley, in fact i have a couple of them and they range from $180 up to $300.
 
JoshBoy said:
Very true, my glasses are Oakley, in fact i have a couple of them and they range from $180 up to $300.
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I see that you're an Aussie (or at least living there).

Maui Jim pair #2 was lifted from my checked luggage (along with my drugs) somewhere between San Jose CA and Cairns. I suspect that it happened in Los Angeles on the transfer from American to Qantas. That pair hadn't even been used - some creep got brand new Maui Jim's to sell on the street.

ps: I like Oakley's, but I have very long and full eyelashes. Most of the Oakley styles that I've tried are close to the face (especially the wraparound styles), so that my eyelashes brush against the inside surface of the lens. That's simply not acceptable ;). That's the main reason I bought 3 more pairs of the Maui Jim's at once - my eyelashes didn't brush against the lenses.
 
Padraig said:
Trust LTD to provide the standard macrumors "wildly inappropriate car analogy" cliche.
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No surprises there. You can always count him for entertaining diatribe

tim916 said:
Kindles are becoming so inexpensive now that it's no biggie to buy one just for outdoor reading. Most iPad owner's spend nearly as much on accessories. I see the Kindle as a complementary device to the iPad rather than a competing one.
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Precisely. No reason you cannot have both

SeaFox said:
I feel sorry for the iPad owner being unable to read outdoors. You know what's really good for cutting down glare and reflections interfering with your vision?

...an expensive pair or polarized sunglasses. :D
Click to expand...

sunglasses dont help washed out iPad screens. Im speaking from experience poolside and beachside

markgo2k said:
Love my iPad, but that ad is dead on. Touché, Amazon.
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Indeed
 
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