PC Mag has an interesting analysis of the Kindle Oasis launch—a look at Amazon’s newest premium e-reader from the perspective of a marketer, not a techie. One big takeaway for consumers is to read the fine print very carefully before clicking on the “Buy” buttons.
The analysis reminded me yet again how important the skill of reading comprehension is in this digital age. One of PC Mag’s five marketing lessons is ‘augmented reality’—or a fancy way of saying ‘watch the marketing.’ The Kindle advertises ‘months’ of battery life, on the one hand. This ‘months’ is calculated by adding in the extra battery juice the Kindle can siphon off its included case. But they also simultaneously advertise the thinnest, lightest Kindle ever. And that stat is minus the case, which was so vital in the battery question. You really have to be able to look at the details, the fine print so to speak, to see if this device is the right fit for you.
I like the look of the Oasis just fine, but the Canadian price is $400 and that is well out of my budget for this sort of thing. I can replace my iPad for that! But we’ll see who else bites. Maybe Chris Meadows will take one for the team and get his hands on one. Or maybe his new iPad satisfied his ‘new reading device’ need. I’m sure Apple is banking that a tablet, for most people, is good enough. Is it? We’ll see.
Obviously I haven’t held an Oasis yet, but the asymmetric shape, putting the weight on one side for easier one-handed operation really appeals to me.. As well, it sounds like it is easy to remove the case. I personally would do that. The various tablets I’ve used with cases frustrate me with the extra weight and bulk, making extended reading needlessly awkward. And though the extended battery life comes form the cover, at least when the reader is not in use in the cover, the Oasis is charging, if I understand it correctly.
Had I not just purchased a Voyage, I would have selected the Oasis. The reading convenience seems worth it for me.
Since the reported *total* battery life is 9 (Amazon) weeks — an Amazon week being about 3 -4 hours — that’s scarcely better than existing models from any manufacturer.
Basically, it’s a nothing more than an oddly shaped thin device with a very small built-in battery and an external battery for a huge price. Since an external battery with enough juice for 6 charges costs about $25 (US) on (ironically) Amazon, for the cost of an Oasis one could get a PaperWhite 3 plus external batteries for 36 charges PLUS a case. At about 8 Amazon weeks per charge, that’s 37*8 = 296 Amazon weeks of reading.
So … let’s see … a few ounces more of weight and nearly 6 Amazon YEARS of battery life OR save the few ounces and get 9 Amazon WEEKS of battery life. Doesn’t sound like much of a competition to me, how about you? Of course, you’d never want to get that many external batteries and a single battery in storage would never last that long, but that kind of comparison makes the usually quite smart Auntie Amazon look pretty damned stupid. Kind of reminds you of the Fire phone, doesn’t it??
I’m thinking the funny lookin’ bald dude needs to start wearing a hat because the sun seems to be affecting his brain.