Amazon pulls anti-iPad mini ad with incorrect claim about stereo speakers

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Amazon has pulled an advertisement from its website slamming the iPad mini after it was discovered that Apple's 7.9-inch tablet does in fact feature stereo speakers.

Stereo


Following the announcement of the iPad mini, Amazon prominently displayed a comparison chart on its front page designed to promote the retailer's $199 Kindle Fire HD. In addition to criticizing the $329 price of the iPad mini, Amazon also claimed Apple's new tablet as a "mono speaker," while the Kindle Fire HD has "dual stereo speakers."

But with iPad mini units now in the hands of reviewers, it has been discovered that the iPad mini does in fact have stereo speakers. That's an upgrade from all previous iPad models, and even the new full-size fourth-generation iPad, all of which have a single mono speaker.

Joshua Topolsky of The Verge noted in his review that the iPad mini has a "good-sounding set of stereo speakers." The two separate channels are located on the bottom of the device, to the left and right of the centered Lightning port.

On Wednesday, after the first iPad mini reviews were published, Amazon updated its website and removed the advertisement for the Kindle Fire.

Amazon


The 9.7-inch iPad has one speaker located to the right of the Lightning port on the back of the device. Stereo sound can still be achieved through external speakers or headphones.

While Amazon touted the stereo speakers on the Kindle Fire HD at the product's unveiling in September, Apple chose to not reveal that the iPad mini has stereo speakers when it introduced the 7.9-inch tablet. Apple's own website also led users to believe the iPad mini would have one mono speaker, as the "tech specs" of the device refer to only a singular "built-in speaker."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 117
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member


    Yep, I mentioned this yesterday.


     


    The Kindle Fire is merely an ad infested shopping portal for Amazon. The iPad Mini is a far superior tablet. 

  • Reply 2 of 117


    Amazon's home page advertisement is truly deceptive and disingenuous...and as a long time Amazon customer, I filed a formal complaint...that I am no longer a customer unless their ad/marketing policies are revised.

  • Reply 3 of 117


    Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos vows to put 3 speakers into the next Amazon Kindle Fire. Three. Because that's how the unimaginative tech industry "competes."

  • Reply 4 of 117
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member
    Also ... there is no such thing as "dual stereo speakers" anyway.
  • Reply 5 of 117
    Only one of these two companies makes a product with built-in ads. You tell me which one wants to please their customers?
  • Reply 6 of 117
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos vows to put 3 speakers into the next Amazon Kindle Fire. Three. Because that's how the unimaginative tech industry "competes."



    Is that a sub woofer or just triple stereo speakers? image

  • Reply 7 of 117

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos vows to put 3 speakers into the next Amazon Kindle Fire. Three. Because that's how the unimaginative tech industry "competes."



    Not 3.  4.


     


    Bezos is working on the first Quadraphonic Kindle.  With 3D screen.  See if you can beat that, Apple!

  • Reply 8 of 117
    Good to see Gizmodo are up to their usual tricks.

    They are basically the Fox News of tech journalism.
    ....and no, I am not an American voter.
  • Reply 9 of 117

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Is that a sub woofer or just triple stereo speakers? image



     


    Triophonic surround sound.

  • Reply 10 of 117

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleGreen View Post


    Not 3.  4.


     


    Bezos is working on the first Quadraphonic Kindle.  With 3D screen.  See if you can beat that, Apple!



     


    Then Google will just have come out with 3DD screens for the NexXxus. Take that, Amazon.


     


  • Reply 11 of 117
    bedouinbedouin Posts: 331member
    About time, because my iPad 2 sounds abysmal compared to my TouchPad's speakers.
  • Reply 12 of 117
    The worst part was really quoting the terrible Gizmodo blog.
  • Reply 13 of 117


    That "we's gotz more stereo than Ipad" Amazon ad is like a Jedi mind trick: it only works on the weak-minded.

  • Reply 14 of 117
    mac voyermac voyer Posts: 1,294member


    From Apple's tech spec page:


     



    • Built-in speaker


     


    Singular, not plural. The picture at the top of this article shows a line pointing to a: built-in speaker. There are two grills, but that means nothing. The iPhone also has two grills. I believe one is a mic opening. That may be the case for the mini as well. Also, it could be that Apple decided to make a second opening for the sound to escape. Either could be true, but remember, Siri is onboard, perhaps necessitating a better mic than what is on the iPad two. The fact that JT said the speakers were stereo means nothing. He may have just assumed the second grill was a speaker without further investigation. 


     


    All that said, Amazon is still full of sht! Their add should still be pulled for even better reasons. Implying that the iPad's wifi is anything short of blazing would be one reason. It is quite obvious Amazon has never seen an iPad mini and has no idea what it has inside. 


     


    Update: Amazon has not pulled their ad or revoked their claim. It is still there, just not on the front page. 


     


     











    Audio & 

    Speakers



    Dual stereo speakers +

    Dolby Digital Plus



    Single speaker


     


     


    This article could have been better researched. Amazon probably moved the ad due to customer push-back. That is far more likely than them changing their claim, which they clearly have not. 


     


    Update: Nevermind. Stereo speakers have been confirmed by Phil, himself. Hopefully, the specs page will be updated to reflect that. It is one thing for a bunch of fanboys to start bagging on products they have never seen. It is quite another when a company like Amazon does it. 

  • Reply 15 of 117
    boredumbboredumb Posts: 1,418member


    And you know, I looked all over their site,


    but I could not find their apology.


     


    'I'm simply shocked!


    Shocked, I tell you!'

  • Reply 16 of 117
    how can the say "no hd movies"?

    iPad mini specs: "Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p,"!!
  • Reply 17 of 117
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    boredumb wrote: »
    And you know, I looked all over their site,
    but I could not find their apology.

    'I'm simply shocked!
    Shocked, I tell you!'

    LOL!
  • Reply 18 of 117
    haarhaar Posts: 563member
    gazoobee wrote: »
    Also ... there is no such thing as "dual stereo speakers" anyway.

    ROFL... only when they are sold as boxed speakers.., (commonly known are bookshelf speakers)

    and your floor standing ones are Triple stereo speakers... echo...echo....echo...

    and when You get to the superduper gigantic floorstanding speakers... QUADRUPLE STEREO SPEAKERS!!!!... /sarcasm Reverberating Canyon echo....echo...echo...
  • Reply 19 of 117
    simtubsimtub Posts: 277member
    AMAZON EPIC FAIL
  • Reply 20 of 117
    simtubsimtub Posts: 277member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dfl88 View Post



    how can the say "no hd movies"?

    iPad mini specs: "Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p,"!!


    I noticed that one too! Amazon are basically trying to put down the iPad mini's screen size as it's not even 720p resolution. But in a real world scenario can we really be arsed and can tell a big difference that a typical 1080/720p HD movie is being scaled down to fit a 1028xx768 resolution screen is inferior? I very much doubt it! I've been watching HD movies on my iPad 1 and 2 since its inception which has the exact same resolution as the iPad mini... Amazon is really talking marketing BS...I hope Apple will nuke their Kindle line this holiday season!

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