- Kindle owners are frustrated with Amazon’s decision to end support for old models
- Users say they shouldn’t need to upgrade if devices are working as normal
- Sideloading is still an option, but Amazon could stop this workaround.
It’s official, Amazon is ending support for a wide array of older Kindle models as of May 20, and it’s shaken up a lot of keen e-readers to say the least.
Since users online shared that they received an email detailing the change, it garnered a slew of comments and reactions, particularly on Reddit — none of which seem to welcome Amazon’s decision to cease support. If your pre-2012 Kindle hasn’t let you down yet, I’m afraid the time for an upgrade might come sooner than you think, but you’re not the only one in this boat.
If it’s not broken, don’t fix it
As mentioned, all Kindle models released in 2012 and before will no longer receive support. This means that you’ll still be able to read content that’s already downloaded on your device, but you won’t be able to purchase or download new books after May 20 this year.
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The reaction speaks for itself, and a vast majority of these users are quite pressed about it, especially since it will affect devices that are still widely used today — most notably the Kindle 3, Kindle 4, and the first generation Kindle Paperwhite. If there are so many users who are satisfied with how these older devices are still performing, then why the need to end support?
Some are convinced it’s a classic Amazon money-grabbing scheme, with one user questioning “Why replace something so simple like this that still works?”.
Most Kindle users in the Reddit thread have come to a collective agreement; if it’s not broken, don’t fix it (or end it in this case). For most users, the simplicity of a Kindle is what has kept them glued to older models instead of upgrading to Amazon’s more advanced, and therefore pricier, models. It’s simply because advanced features aren’t a huge necessity for those who just want a device for reading books.
Unlike devices such as phones, computers, and tablets that require new hardware iterations to keep up with evolving software and security updates, e-readers have a singular flagship purpose and that’s for reading. “It’s a text reader, that’s it, no need to turn it into a brick other than money,” one user shared, while another commented “if the device isn’t broken, and can still be used, and all of the features we want and/ or need are on the devices we already own, then we shouldn’t have to upgrade”.
However, despite this, there appears to be a silver lining. Yes, you won’t be able to purchase and download new books to the affected devices, but this won’t stop users from sideloading books from sites that aren’t Amazon as a workaround.
A popular way of sideloading books onto a Kindle is by sending files and EPUBs to your Kindle email which will then appear in your device’s library. One user in the Reddit thread revealed they sideload books to their Kindle “with a wire and (my) laptop”, but even then, the burning question — how long this trick will still work come May 20 — is still on everyone’s lips. Will sideloading be Amazon’s next target?
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
