Amazon discontinuing support for older Kindles in May

[DiapDealer]

No emails yet for my registered ancient kindle devices. I'm frankly surprised they lasted (and were supported) as long as they did. I've got a newer Paperwhite somewhere, but I read on none of these. Have not done so for years.

[jhowell]

This seems to be part of another cycle of Amazon locking down access to Kindle ebooks.

I saw indications that Amazon was planning to block book downloads to older Kindle devices almost a year ago. I expect this change to be announced worldwide soon.

It has come to light recently that the Kindle models that will still be supported can have their DRM updated without an actual firmware release. I believe that will now become more widespread.

And today I came across something else that hints of Amazon phasing out the Kindle for PC app, which has long been used to work around Kindle DRM.

[Scoob]

I'll just stick to reading KU books from Amazon and buying books from elsewhere. I'll still keep using my dinosaur Kindles. I sideload anyway.

[haertig]

Ignorant customers are more prone to generating higher profits for companies. So it makes sense that Amazon is zeroing on their ignorant customers - the ones who will go out and buy a new Kindle because Amazon tells them to, despite having a functional Kindle already in their hands. Well, those functional Kindles are rapidly becoming non-functional due to Amazon's efforts to cut them off. So there's that...

The less ignorant customers left Amazons infrastructure a while ago, or at least curtailed their reliance on it. So Amazon won't lose many customers due to this group being offended by recent Amazon moves, since the group is relatively small.

It's a winning situation (from Amazon's viewpoint) to make ignorant customers their primary target. That's how they make more money.

[DiapDealer]

You probably want to avoid conflating "don't give a damn" or "different priorities than you" with ignorance.

[Desertway]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

You probably want to avoid conflating "don't give a damn" or "different priorities than you" with ignorance.

This.

[Frogm4n]

Originally Posted by jhowell

It has come to light recently that the Kindle models that will still be supported can have their DRM updated without an actual firmware release. I believe that will now become more widespread.

Is the DRM actually being updated, or is Amazon just using a different version of the DRM that's always been in there and just not yet deployed? I'd read long ago that there were many known encryption methods in the firmware that hadn't yet been cracked.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Frogm4n

Is the DRM actually being updated, or is Amazon just using a different version of the DRM that's always been in there and just not yet deployed?

It is actually a software patch being installed through a mechanism which was apparently originally intended for remote diagnostics.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

You probably want to avoid conflating "don't give a damn" or "different priorities than you" with ignorance.

For most people on this forum, the above may be an accurate description. But for the general population of customers, ignorance is probably the better description. Sometimes the "don't give a damn" folks also fall into the "ignorant" category, which is maybe why they don't give a damn. Of course, sometimes the "don't give a damn" folks don't give a damn because they have "different priorities than you".

A good example of ignorance vs. non-ignorance might be that many, if not most, of the active posters on this forum remove DRM from the ebooks they purchase. Or at least they state that they do this. I'll bet that the vast majority of the general population does not remove DRM from their ebooks. And I submit this may often be because they are ignorant of the problems that DRM can cause for them. Right up until it happens to them. Many will choose to become non-ignorant at that point, and alter their ebook behavior. But some will simply not give a damn and carry on. And that's great - at least they're not giving a damn due to ignorance. It's by choice.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by haertig

I'll bet that the vast majority of the general population does not remove DRM from their ebooks. And I submit this may often be because they are ignorant of the problems that DRM can cause for them.

Many people are well aware of the problems DRM can cause some people. But many of the people to whom you attribute ignorance merely have reading habits that DRM has no bearing on. Consider that the vast majority of the general population don't stockpile purchases for future reading. And similarly they don't tend to re-read. So just how is that type of reader going to get burned by DRM? They buy a book, they read the book. Lather rinse repeat. They might be ignorant of DRM, but then they can afford to be. It won't likely ever affect them. It will only affect the stockpilers and the re-readers.

[jpetts99]

Also received from .co.uk

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

You probably want to avoid conflating "don't give a damn" or "different priorities than you" with ignorance.

Originally Posted by Desertway

This.

This, this and more this ↑↑↑↑↑↑

ETA for clarity: I give enough of a damn to liberate all of my Kindle purchases diligently and promptly, but as the years go by, the damn I give has shrunk to the point that if Amazon makes the process so complicated that it becomes burdensome, or if they block it altogether, I will still purchase Kindle books as my priorities have changed.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

So just how is that type of reader going to get burned by DRM?

Well sure. Someone who is happy to rent but not own an ebook will not be affected by DRM. In much the same way as someone who rents their home will not be affected by property taxes like someone who owns their home will be.

For me, if I want to rent an ebook I'll just rent it from the library instead of Amazon, since the library is free.

[Dopedangel]

They have achieved the monopoly or control over customer, authors and publishers they wanted now they will make bank.

[davedeacon]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've not gotten any email from Amazon saying my Kindle Touch is no longer going to be supported.

How is Amazon going to handle this in the EU?

A friend of mine in London just received the email.