Amazon.com Inc. is rolling up its sleeves in its fight to convince consumers that its Kindle electronic reader is better than competing devices such as Apple's iPad, unveiling more aggressive advertising that is accentuating a growing rivalry.
In a Kindle commercial aired on TV and uploaded Monday to Amazon's Kindle channel on YouTube, the online retailer shows a man and a woman lounging beside a pool in the sun. The man, dressed in a white T-shirt and gray shorts, looks vexedly at a thin, dark, unlabeled tablet device — presumably an iPad — while trying to shield its shiny screen from the sun.
The man asks the woman, who is clad in a black bikini and sunglasses and reading on a Kindle, how she's able to read in such bright sunlight. Presumably his tablet has an LCD screen, which is tougher to read in the sun than an e-ink screen like that on Amazon's e-reader.
Smiling, the woman answers, "It's a Kindle — $139. I actually paid more for these sunglasses."
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Amazon sells a $139 a version of the device that can wirelessly download books over Wi-Fi; a version with 3G and Wi-Fi costs $189.
Still smiling, she returns to her reading, while the man looks somewhat dejectedly at his tablet device.
The commercial marks a tactical change for Amazon, whose earlier Kindle commercials often featured cheerful indie tunes and stop-motion camera work, with no references to competing products such as tablet computers or other e-readers.
While the Kindle is meant mainly for reading, Apple Inc.'s popular iPad, which starts at $499, is a touch-screen-enabled multimedia device that can be used to read e-books (such as those purchased from Apple's iBookstore), surf the web and more. Though more expensive than the Kindle, the iPad's versatility has drawn in many consumers.
But the iPad's success can also be good for Amazon, too, since Amazon offers free Kindle applications for numerous devices, including the iPad, that can be used to read Kindle e-books.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling and Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener declined to comment on the new ad.
E-reading is just one of several markets in which Seattle-based Amazon and Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple compete.
They also come up against each other in video and music downloads. Earlier this month, Apple announced a new $99 version of its Apple TV television set-top box that lets people rent TV shows from a number of major networks for 99 cents. The same day, Amazon started selling shows from several of the same networks for 99 cents each to own, not just rent.By Rachel Metz - AP Technology Writer
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Showing posts with label Commodities News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commodities News. Show all posts
Sep 14, 2010
May 4, 2010
Global worries push copper below $7,000
Copper dropped below $7,000 a tonne on Tuesday as markets were buffeted by concerns about eurozone contagion, slowing growth in Chinese demand and a stronger dollar.
The red metal made headlines just weeks ago as it rose above $8,000 but it has since suffered a 13 per cent correction from its April 12 peak.
Copper, which is seen as a barometer of the state of the global economy because it is widely used in electrical appliances, fell 5.5 per cent to touch an intraday low of $6,998 – its lowest level since February – before inching up to $7,032.
The main concern weighing on industrial metals in recent weeks has been that the spectacular expansion in China’s demand for raw materials might slow as the authorities attempt to keep growth in check.
That fear was crystallised on Tuesday as traders on the London Metal Exchange had their first chance to react to the weekend’s news that China’s monetary authority had increased the amount required by state banks to be held in reserve, the third such move this year. David Wilson, metals analyst at Société Générale, said the price falls were a “knee-jerk reaction” to the Chinese tightening.
The other factor weighing on base metals has been continued risk aversion on the back of jitters over the eurozone debt crisis and the charges brought against Goldman Sachs.
Investors appeared unconvinced by emergency measures announced at the weekend to shore up Greece’s public finances.
“What you’re seeing right now is a combination of unfortunate factors that happened at the same time,” said Michael Widmer, metals strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
But he added that Tuesday’s price moves were largely sentiment-driven. “The underlying data globally is actually quite strong,” he said.
Randy North, a trader at RBC, said prices may continue to fall until elections in the UK and Germany this week removed some political uncertainty.
By Jack Farchy and Neil Dennis
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The red metal made headlines just weeks ago as it rose above $8,000 but it has since suffered a 13 per cent correction from its April 12 peak.
Copper, which is seen as a barometer of the state of the global economy because it is widely used in electrical appliances, fell 5.5 per cent to touch an intraday low of $6,998 – its lowest level since February – before inching up to $7,032.
The main concern weighing on industrial metals in recent weeks has been that the spectacular expansion in China’s demand for raw materials might slow as the authorities attempt to keep growth in check.
That fear was crystallised on Tuesday as traders on the London Metal Exchange had their first chance to react to the weekend’s news that China’s monetary authority had increased the amount required by state banks to be held in reserve, the third such move this year. David Wilson, metals analyst at Société Générale, said the price falls were a “knee-jerk reaction” to the Chinese tightening.
The other factor weighing on base metals has been continued risk aversion on the back of jitters over the eurozone debt crisis and the charges brought against Goldman Sachs.
Investors appeared unconvinced by emergency measures announced at the weekend to shore up Greece’s public finances.
“What you’re seeing right now is a combination of unfortunate factors that happened at the same time,” said Michael Widmer, metals strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
But he added that Tuesday’s price moves were largely sentiment-driven. “The underlying data globally is actually quite strong,” he said.
Randy North, a trader at RBC, said prices may continue to fall until elections in the UK and Germany this week removed some political uncertainty.
By Jack Farchy and Neil Dennis
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Commodities feel weight of China bank move
Commodities markets were hit by fears of suppressed demand yesterday, with copper falling to a 10-week low after China acted at the weekend to take some of the heat out of its rapidly expanding economy.
Chinese monetary authorities on Sunday announced they had tightened the amount required by state banks to be held in reserve by another 50 basis points to 17 per cent, marking the third such rise this year.
“The policy stance is likely to become more hawkish before we see signs of inflation peaking. Therefore, fear of further policy tightening is likely to weigh on markets for some months to come,” said Wensheng Peng at Barclays Capital.
China’s seemingly insatiable appetite for raw materials has driven commodity markets higher through much of the past year, in spite of economies in the US and Europe having only recently emerged from recession.
Copper, usually considered the benchmark for base metals, was driven up to two-year highs in mid-April on the back of surging demand from China.
But on London’s Metal Exchange it has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three weeks on rising concerns over China’s moves to cool its economy and fears that the sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone will spread and damp demand.
Trade was closed on the LME yesterday for a public holiday, while the Shanghai exchange was also shut.
However, in electronic trade on New York’s Comex, copper was down 2 per cent to $3.2855 a pound, its lowest point since February 26.
Oil prices were supported by the oil spill in US Gulf of Mexico, as two offshore production platforms in the area were closed for safety reasons, and fears rose that shipping in the region might also be affected.
Signs of improving growth in the US and eurozone helped keep a floor under crude prices, following Friday’s gross domestic product data from the US and yesterday’s manufacturing report from eurozone purchasing managers. By Neil Dennis
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Chinese monetary authorities on Sunday announced they had tightened the amount required by state banks to be held in reserve by another 50 basis points to 17 per cent, marking the third such rise this year.
“The policy stance is likely to become more hawkish before we see signs of inflation peaking. Therefore, fear of further policy tightening is likely to weigh on markets for some months to come,” said Wensheng Peng at Barclays Capital.
China’s seemingly insatiable appetite for raw materials has driven commodity markets higher through much of the past year, in spite of economies in the US and Europe having only recently emerged from recession.
Copper, usually considered the benchmark for base metals, was driven up to two-year highs in mid-April on the back of surging demand from China.
But on London’s Metal Exchange it has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three weeks on rising concerns over China’s moves to cool its economy and fears that the sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone will spread and damp demand.
Trade was closed on the LME yesterday for a public holiday, while the Shanghai exchange was also shut.
However, in electronic trade on New York’s Comex, copper was down 2 per cent to $3.2855 a pound, its lowest point since February 26.
Oil prices were supported by the oil spill in US Gulf of Mexico, as two offshore production platforms in the area were closed for safety reasons, and fears rose that shipping in the region might also be affected.
Signs of improving growth in the US and eurozone helped keep a floor under crude prices, following Friday’s gross domestic product data from the US and yesterday’s manufacturing report from eurozone purchasing managers. By Neil Dennis
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