Amazon Kindle
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| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2007 |
| Product Type | E-readers, Publishing |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://amazon.com/kindle |
Amazon Kindle is a product line of e-readers made by Amazon.
Consumer impact summary
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Incidents
[edit | edit source]No native support for EPUB format
[edit | edit source]While EPUB has been the widely adopted format for digital books,[1] the Kindle e-readers do not support this format natively. That means that it is not possible to load these files directly to the e-reader (which is called sideloading), but have to be converted first to one of the proprietary formats the Kindle uses. Books directly purchased through Amazon come with DRM restrictions.
Around 2022 it was announced that there would be an option to read these files,[2] which was not through native support but via their e-mail service or dedicated app for the Kindle. Both send the file to the Kindle Cloud Library, and process the file on Amazon servers to the proprietary format.
As for the sideloading itself, newer firmware versions of Kindle e-readers only work with MTP,[3] which led to controversy among power users as it disrupted existing workflow, which is to be expected. Book management software such as Calibre[4] addresses this issue, and can do the conversion of file formats locally. The recent firmware updates have caused other issues, like faster battery drain than before and a slower user experience.[5]
Anti-repair and anti-ownership practices
[edit | edit source]Kindle devices regularly receive bad scores in repair reviews.[6][7] The baseline model has a replaceable battery, but provides no official replacement parts or repair instructions, and solders the power button and USB-C port to the motherboard.[6][8] The paper-white model uses excessive amounts of adhesive for the battery and motherboard, which makes it more difficult to replace the battery.[7][8] Most of the components of the device — and most importantly the e-ink screen — are not available to the general market. Any stock for e-ink displays for these devices can rarely be found and usually approaches the cost of the device itself, making repair uneconomical.
Kindle devices run a Linux distribution, however the boot-loader is locked down and users have had trouble accessing debug ports on newer hardware.[9]
Download feature removed for purchased books (2025)
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On 26 February 2025, Amazon removed the "download and transfer via USB" feature from their website. This means Amazon Kindle users are no longer able to download their purchased e-books from Amazon's website to their computers using the "download and transfer via USB" feature. A message describing this change appeared on the page for the download feature a few weeks before the feature was removed.
Support discontinued for pre-2013 devices
[edit | edit source]- Main article: Amazon Kindle discontinues support for pre-2013 devices
On 7 April 2026, Amazon began emailing customers that, starting 20 May 2026, the Kindle Store would no longer support nine pre-2013 Kindle e-reader models and four Kindle Fire tablet models, ending the ability to purchase, borrow, or download new content on the affected hardware.[11][12] Amazon's email warned that any affected device de-registered or factory-reset after the cutoff cannot be re-registered and cannot be used "in any way".[11][12] Amazon's only on-record justification was that the affected models had been supported "for at least 14 years, some as long as 18 years" and that "technology has come a long way," with no specific technical reason cited. The company offered affected owners a 20% discount on select new Kindle devices plus an eBook credit, valid through 20 June 2026.[11][13]
Products
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See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "EPUB 3.3". w3.org. 13 Jan 2026. Archived from the original on 28 Jan 2026. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ Schroeder, Stan (3 May 2022). "Amazon's Kindle will finally support epub files". Mashable. Archived from the original on 18 Oct 2025. Retrieved 16 Mar 2022.
- ↑ Groezinger, Nathan (20 Oct 2024). "Amazon Removed Download and Transfer Option for New Kindles". The Ebook Reader. Archived from the original on 14 Oct 2025. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ "calibre - E-book management". Calibre. Archived from the original on 22 Feb 2026. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ Kozlowski, Michael (18 Aug 2024). "The Amazon Kindle is in a state of decline". Good e-Reader. Archived from the original on 19 Dec 2025. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Frauenheim, Carsten. "Aiuto Riparazione Kindle 11: scopri come ripararlo da solo" [Kindle 11 Repair Help: find out how to fix it yourself]. iFixit (in italiano). Archived from the original on 21 Feb 2026. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rodriguez, Kris. "Kindle Paperwhite 5 (11th Generation) Repair". iFixit. Archived from the original on 12 Dec 2025. Retrieved 16 Mar 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "E-Reader Repairability Scores". iFixit. Archived from the original on 11 Dec 2025. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ Iftikhar, Hasib (30 Oct 2025). "Kindle Linux: Running Linux on Kindle Devices the Right Way". CyberPanel. Archived from the original on 12 Apr 2026. Retrieved 21 Apr 2026.
- ↑ limeygarp (12 Feb 2025). "FYI Amazon is removing Download & Transfer option on Feb 26th". Reddit. Archived from the original on 4 Aug 2025. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Kan, Michael (7 Apr 2026). "Got a Kindle From Before 2013? Amazon Is Pulling Support". PCMag. Archived from the original on 8 Apr 2026. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Kunert, Paul (8 Apr 2026). "Amazon rewards loyal Kindle devotees by closing the book on old e-readers". The Register. Archived from the original on 8 Apr 2026. Retrieved 18 Sep 2026.
- ↑ Sayers, Jonathan (8 Apr 2026). "Amazon Is Discontinuing Support For These Older Kindle Models". BGR. Archived from the original on 9 Apr 2026. Retrieved 8 Apr 2026.