Amazon is knocking Apple’s iPad in a new commercial promoting the Kindle. In the ad (see below), Amazon shows a dorky-looking iPad owner (sunning himself poolside in a T-shirt and khaki shorts) frustrated with not being able to read his device in daylight, while the bikini-clad Kindle user next to him has no such problem.
The Kindle doesn’t include backlighting, using a display technology called E-Ink that doesn’t require (or offer) backlighting. The iPad, however, has higher resolution display that features backlighting, which some consider harder to read in situations with bright lighting, such as outsider during daylight.
Kindle dominated the dedicated e-reader market with its Kindle, with few devices intended to compete with it having much success. Apple’s iPad, however, has been a monster success, due in part to the fact that it can do much more than the Kindle, and because of its rich, high quality viewing experience.
Of course, Amazon offers a Kindle app on the iPad (and iPhone/iPod touch), as it does for the Mac, Windows, and even Android devices. Still, the company has remained aggressive with its dedicated Kindle hardware, having lowered the price for its entry-level device to US$139, as noted in the commercial.
Amazon Kindle Commercial