Kobo CEO's thoughts (excerpts, check link for full):
Quote:
Kobo is still shipping updates to devices that were sold in *2011*. The Kobo Touch, our first ereader with a touch screen, is still getting patches today, and Kobo Glo—our first frontlight ereader from 2012—still gets updates.
In fact, there are only three ereaders that don’t still get updates:
the original 2010 “blue button” Kobo eReader,
the 2011 “grey button” Kobo WiFi eReader,
and fan-favourite 2012 5” Kobo Mini.
Everything else is still being maintained.
So why does a device get retired? By far, the most important [reason] is security.
There can be something in the hardware of the device, or a part of the firmware that we can’t update remotely, that becomes a vector a bad actor could use to get personal information or transactions, or even an interface that could be used to attack our systems.
Those are the toughest ones. It's what led to the retirement of the beloved Kobo Mini, RIP.
Over 15 years, services that were once secure can develop vulnerabilities that we can’t fix with a software update, often because they’re baked into the hardware. (We do less and less of that these days, but 10–15 years ago, sometimes it was the only way to make it work.)
We don’t want anyone grabbing your credentials or reaching into our systems through a now-insecure gateway.
It also takes a lot of care and attention from a truly dedicated team to make sure all of those beloved older Kobo ereaders get tested every time we update our software. We maintain a whole library of senior devices, and every new release means going back and checking across all of them. That can take a *lot* of time, but it’s worth it.
Because know that Kobo ereaders become treasured little companions, and we want to keep them going for as long as we possibly can. Hope this helps ��
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source:
https://www.threads.com/@mtamblyn/po...7oPiyQ0&slof=1
I wish Kobo would release some new devices soon, it's been forever. No 7" BW option and no 300 PPI 10" option is a big gap IMO