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divdiv class=postBody txtWrap section=txt readability=45 div class=cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-none readability=1 img class=cnet-image src=http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/12/01/firehdx.png alt= width=614 height=341/p class=image-captionIt's so much better./p span class=image-credit (Credit: Amazon/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET) /span /div pIn the tech world, the holiday spirit involves the right cross, the jarring upper-cut, and what they call in England the Glasgow Kiss./p pIf you're not out there explaining to people why your product is better than an Apple offering, then you simply don't realize what's at stake in stuffing the Christmas stocking./p pAfter Microsoft has offered its consistent pummeling of the a href=http://reviews.cnet.com/ipad/ section=luke_topic iPad/a, into the ring steps Amazon. And how./p pTo present its a href=http://reviews.cnet.com/kindle/ section=luke_topic Kindle/a tablet, Washington state's other tech company decides it's going to compare its graces with the a href=http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ipad-air/ section=luke_topic iPad Air/a./p pThis is the magical new iPad Air, the ad begins./p p/p /ppYou'll note the word magical. It's one that Apple uses so much. Indeed, I'm surprised the company hasn't patented it yet. /p pBut why would Amazon want you to believe that the iPad Air is magical? Oh, because it wants you to believe it isn't./p pIn this quest, it presents the Air with the help of a British voiceover, sounding for all the world like a mockery of the traditional new-product Apple videos narrated by Jony Ive. /p pWhen he utters words like magical and astonishing, it's as if he's trying to distort your reality./p pThe Kindle tablet, you will be stunned to hear, is described by a solid, manly American voice. /p pThe HDX has almost 1 million more pixels. It's 20 percent lighter than Air. And it's cheaper. /p pI see, retreats the mock-Ive with typically British understatement./p pBut what do we really see here? We see everyone feeling the need to compare their wares with Apple's products. /p pThis is understandable to an extent. But Amazon, Microsoft, Nokia, and whoever else is knocking Apple might be better served created an image for their own brand first. /p pAmazon has tried to do that, by first a href=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57604703-71/amazons-new-mayday-ads-saving-sad-rich-men-everywhere/presenting its friendly Fire female helper/a, there to save sad, rich men from an uncertain fate. Did it work?/p pThe question is whether such comparison ads are, on their own, sufficiently compelling. Has the Kindle Fire HDX already inspired a legion of buyers? Or is Amazon now doing this sort of ad because it hasn't? /p pIn the end, you can't help wondering how many people will come away from ads like these believing as much that Apple is still some sort of gold standard, as that the products from Amazon, Microsoft, and the rest offer better value./p /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center