This is not a new ad, but in case it is new to you, I offer it as exhibit A, proving that even decent companies will stoop to Samsung levels to compete with the iPad. The voiceover is supposed to remind you of the voices of two, Apple executives. That, alone, is dispicable. Then, it compares three features of the Kindle Fire HDX to the iPad Air. So what's wrong with it? Nothing, if they weren't trying to purposely mislead you.

The features are that the Kindle is lighter than the iPad, going after one of its biggest strengths. It has a lower price, and more pixels. In fact, it does have more pixels. That, however, does not automatically mean that the screen is better. But I'll give them that one. It is more obfuscation than anything.

That it is lighter and cheaper borderlines on being an outright lie, as the fact that it is smaller is completely left out. Amazon is comparing tablets with completely different screen sizes. The difference is important. Amazon is not comparing like with like. Of course the Kindle is lighter and less expensive. It is a smaller and less espensive piece of hardware. The lightness of the iPad is amazing relative to its size, not to a feather.

By pretending that the Kindle's weight and price should be considered relative to the iPad Air, Amazon is intentionally misleading anyone who will listen. It is low and unnecessary. There is nothing wrong with the Fire HDX. It is a smaller, lighter, reduced alternative to the world's bestselling, full-sized tablet. It is not a full-sized, full featured tablet. Its size and price relative to the iPad is irrelevent, just as the tablet will be when holiday sales are counted.

David Johnson