From Shelf Awareness:
PC World’s Tony Bradley questioned the marketing wisdom of Amazon’s latest Kindle commercial (Shelf Awareness, September 14, 2010) attacking the iPad: “Amazon is responsible for the mainstream acceptance of the e-reader thanks to the Kindle, and it has a virtually insurmountable dominance of the market. Yet, Amazon seems to have some sort of Napoleon complex about the Apple iPad, as evidenced by its new marketing campaign.” Conceding that the Kindle campaign “is catchy” Bradley observed that “it is unnecessary and misguided. Amazon should stop Quixotically tilting at Apple windmills, and focus on its actual e-reader competitors. Better yet, Amazon should embrace the iPad and market the benefits of buying Kindle-format books that can be synced across and read from virtually any device.”
PC Magazine’s critique was a bit more sarcastic: “Amazon has an important message about the latest Kindle–it is the e-book reader of choice for pretty ladies in swimsuits everywhere. Apple iPads, meanwhile, are strictly for the sort of dudes who wear t-shirts while sitting beside the pool…. Oh, also the thing is cheaper than the kind of sunglasses that pretty poolside ladies buy. Also, you can read it in direct sunlight. But honestly, if you’re going to spend more than $139 on pair of glasses, you can probably afford an iPad and a beach umbrella, right?”