Quote:
Originally Posted by jhowell
Or perhaps they just don't care and Kindle owners will continue to get a free pass.
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They don't care and forcing someone to upgrade a free app isn't at all the same as obsoleting a physical device.
A 1949 record player with stylus/cartridge for microgroove and 33 rpm speed still plays new vinyl. Though curiously the retro-portable record players with 33, 45 & 78 can't play 78s properly unless you change the cartridge & stylus system. A 78 needs a fat round one.
A 1962 Philips compact cassette player (if belt not dozed) will still play.
I have one 1987 CD player, still plays new CDs and my 2002 DVD player still plays new DVDs.
Smashwords still sometimes has new books offering LRF for oldest Sony and pdb for oldest Palm/Symbian/WinCE PDA/phones. All the oldest Sony or other ereaders using epub still work.
The older kindles with WiFi or Mobile can't shop direct, but the very oldest 2007 model Kindle still works via Download for USB Transfer.
They got a load of bad publicity remotely removing ebooks. There is no bad publicity in obsoleting a free app that has a replacement free.
You can still replace the batteries.
So obsoleting an app and a physical Kindle are not the same category.
Mind, the MS Watches with radio data via FM are gone as is MS "Plays for Sure" media.
Amazon did kill off the ebooks they sold before the Kindle (maybe before they bought Mobipocket), but again, those were App only.
I may be misremembering a few details.