Amazon is ending support for these older Kindle and Kindle Fire devices

[midian182]

Why it matters: Amazon is finally pulling the plug on some of its oldest Kindle hardware, ending support for e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets released in 2012 and earlier. From May 20, the affected devices will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content directly from the Kindle Store, marking the end of the line for gadgets that, in some cases, have outlasted entire smartphone ecosystems.

The list of devices stretches all the way back to the original 2007 Kindle and includes the Kindle 2, Kindle DX, Kindle DX Graphite, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4, Kindle Touch, Kindle 5, and the first-generation Kindle Paperwhite.

On the tablet side, Amazon is also cutting off the first-gen Kindle Fire, second-gen Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD 7, and Kindle Fire HD 8.9. Essentially, if your device still has a physical keyboard or dates back to the early days of Amazon's tablets, the countdown is on.

Full list of affected devices

• Kindle (2007)
• Kindle 2
• Kindle DX
• Kindle DX Graphite
• Kindle Keyboard
• Kindle 4
• Kindle Touch
• Kindle 5
• Kindle Paperwhite (1st generation)
• Kindle Fire (1st generation)
• Kindle Fire (2nd generation)
• Kindle Fire HD 7
• Kindle Fire HD 8.9

The move doesn't mean these devices are about to become instant e-waste. Owners will still be able to read books that are already downloaded, and their libraries will remain accessible through newer Kindle hardware, the Kindle mobile app, and Kindle for Web.

Kindle removing support for OG devices
by u/Amorisaiya in kindle

Once the deadline passes, these older models will lose direct access to Amazon's ebook storefront. Moreover, if one of the devices is deregistered or factory reset after the cutoff, it cannot be re-registered.

That last part has not gone down well with longtime Kindle users. Some owners are frustrated that perfectly functional devices are being nudged toward retirement simply because they are old.

There is, however, a partial workaround. While Amazon is shutting off store access on the devices themselves, sideloading should still give users a way to load books manually. That won't be as seamless as buying from the Kindle Store on-device, but it does mean some of these aging readers may still have life left in them.

Amazon is also trying to soften the blow with a 20 percent discount on a new Kindle and a $20 eBook credit for affected users, though that's unlikely to appease many people.

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Amazon is ending support for these older Kindle and Kindle Fire devices

 

[RudyBob]

I wish I hadn't dropped my Kindle Keyboard in the toilet. It was great. The paperwhite I replaced it with doesn't measure up. The end of support isn't cool but I get very few of my books from Amazon

 

[yRaz]

We need to absolish the term "side loading"

 

[Theinsanegamer]

We need to absolish the term "side loading"

And replace it with?

 

[yRaz]

And replace it with?

well you aren't "sideloading" anything. Your putting files/installing software on a computer that you own. Sideloading has always sounded to me like you're doing something mischievous, like you're doing something you aren't supposed to.

 

[BlackyNoir]

I have a kobo reader, and only use epub books. I have zero idea if my reader is still "supported" by the manufacturer or not, it doesn't change any single thing for me and my reading and buying habits.

 

[Anton Longshot]

I saw it coming so I never stepped into this particular boat but if I had I would never buy another Kindle.

 

[mbk34]

Sideloading has always sounded to me like you're doing something mischievous, like you're doing something you aren't supposed to.

So?

I suspect Amazon expect users to do a little downloading on the side. The paperwhite has 16GB of memory which allows for roughly 5000 books. Lets say an ebook averages $5. Do you believe that Amazon expects kindle owners to ever buy $25k worth of ebooks? Obviously PDF's and audio books take up more space but there are far better devices for both those formats. And how many free (to purchase) ebooks would a normal person want to read?

 

[ScottSoapbox]

A $100 device not being supported after 14+ years is not exactly a travesty.

That's long enough that there likely are some software efficiencies to be had by dropping the oldest devices rather than "forced obsolescence" for hardware upgrades sold at near cost.

 

[acrossthestars]

well you aren't "sideloading" anything. Your putting files/installing software on a computer that you own. Sideloading has always sounded to me like you're doing something mischievous, like you're doing something you aren't supposed to.

I concur. 'Sideloading" is literally just "installing", but with the added tinge of "unauthorized access". Installing from the Play Store not only becomes "safe", but inadvertently becomes a psychological signpost for "following the rules", which makes sideloading the domain of hackers and ne'er-do-wells. It basically turns unorthodox thinking―going off the reservation―into an act of radicalism, of criminal intent.

The walled garden is now "the garden" and you are the snake, enticing impressionable minds to defile themselves and leave Paradise.

 

[Zintin]

A $100 device not being supported after 14+ years is not exactly a travesty.

That's long enough that there likely are some software efficiencies to be had by dropping the oldest devices rather than "forced obsolescence" for hardware upgrades sold at near cost.

I own a Kindle keyboard. It still works and does what I need it to do.. Read books. Given I "side load" most of my books anyway. My version was suppose to display ads for books but it stopped a few years back. I shouldn't have to replace it. However Amazon moves forward with the new and out with the old.

I was given an old Echo Tap that cannot connect to Amazon servers either. It's basically just a Bluetooth speaker.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

I own a Kindle keyboard. It still works and does what I need it to do.. Read books. Given I "side load" most of my books anyway. My version was suppose to display ads for books but it stopped a few years back. I shouldn't have to replace it. However Amazon moves forward with the new and out with the old.

I was given an old Echo Tap that cannot connect to Amazon servers either. It's basically just a Bluetooth speaker.

You don't have to replace it as you can still side load.

The Kindle was always locked into the Amazon store whereas alternative e-readers are not. Don't get mad that the limitation you signed up for is a limitation.

 

[BobHome]

So?

I suspect Amazon expect users to do a little downloading on the side. The paperwhite has 16GB of memory which allows for roughly 5000 books. Lets say an ebook averages $5. Do you believe that Amazon expects kindle owners to ever buy $25k worth of ebooks? Obviously PDF's and audio books take up more space but there are far better devices for both those formats. And how many free (to purchase) ebooks would a normal person want to read?

I have downloaded over 2400 Amazon free or $0.99 eBooks over the past dozen years. Most courtesy of the kebooks daily newsletter.

 

[TheBigT42]

Didn't ever use the store to begin with