New Windows Kindle app announced; Current Kindle app unavailable after 30/06/2026

[Martinoptic]

Yep. 18632 arrived for me today.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by slm

To make things even more confusing: you are really not even "licensing" from Amazon--they don't own the copyright. You are sublicensing from them--if their license terminates, you will lose access to the book. (This actually happens from time to time on Amazon).

So, I guess it should say that you are buying a sublicense.

(Frankly, I think they are all playing fast and loose with the US Supreme Court's first sale doctrine--you can't "license" a physical book--but no one else agrees with me.)

You can license a physical book. When you borrow a pBook at the library, you are licensed to keep it for a set period of time before you have to either return it or renew the license it if it's available to renew.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

For what little it may be worth, Amazon/Microsoft seem to going to a rapid update policy for the Kindle 4 Windows app. An update to 18320 on Sunday and then an update to 18632 today.

DRM removal still works with the latest version.

[Shykat]

I just looked at my K4W 11 and it still shows version 1.0.16118. I have no idea why my version hasn't updated.... haven't downloaded a new book for couple of weeks and I did change the setting in Win 11 to not update for 5 weeks, or something like that. I have no idea which might be the cause of not updating to the newest K4PC version. ::

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Shykat

I just looked at my K4W 11 and it still shows version 1.0.16118. I have no idea why my version hasn't updated.... haven't downloaded a new book for couple of weeks and I did change the setting in Win 11 to not update for 5 weeks, or something like that. I have no idea which might be the cause of not updating to the newest K4PC version. ::

It's the setting to not update for 5 weeks.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by DNSB

For what little it may be worth, Amazon/Microsoft seem to going to a rapid update policy for the Kindle 4 Windows app. An update to 18320 on Sunday and then an update to 18632 today.

Well it is a little buggy still, even with latest release:

- personal documents all present as 'PDF' even if they started life as ePubs, and do not generate cover thumbnails.
- full screen is supported now but reading mode still shows Library navigation, Settings icon, and window management buttons at top.
- there's no 'permanently delete' option for books or docs.
- no Series grouping

Not sure the legacy app did this correctly either. At least it supports system Dark mode setting now.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by slm

To make things even more confusing: you are really not even "licensing" from Amazon--they don't own the copyright. You are sublicensing from them--if their license terminates, you will lose access to the book. (This actually happens from time to time on Amazon).

So, I guess it should say that you are buying a sublicense.

(Frankly, I think they are all playing fast and loose with the US Supreme Court's first sale doctrine--you can't "license" a physical book--but no one else agrees with me.)

Actually, you don't lose access to the book that you purchased even if the author pulls it from the site and doesn't allow it to be purchased anymore. (I know this is true, because I own an entire series of books that the author pulled from sale, and I can still download them to my Kindle from my account)

Shari

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by shalym

Actually, you don't lose access to the book that you purchased even if the author pulls it from the site and doesn't allow it to be purchased anymore. (I know this is true, because I own an entire series of books that the author pulled from sale, and I can still download them to my Kindle from my account)

Ditto for books from Baen and Kobo. Once you have purchased the license, you can re-download the book.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Ditto for books from Baen and Kobo. Once you have purchased the license, you can re-download the book.

Actually, this isn't true for Baen--I bought 4 Heinlein books from them in 2011 that I no longer have access to from the website. I had already downloaded them and added them to Calibre when I purchased them, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't be able to access them at all anymore.

For reference, the books in question are:
Citizen of the Galaxy
Have Space Suit - Will Travel
Methuselah's Children
Revolt in 2100

I found this out because I recently went to re-read them on my Kindle and realized that they were in the old Mobi format, so I went to re-download them from Baen, and they weren't available to download, even though they show in my orders.

Shari

[DNSB]

Interesting. Perhaps they no longer support some of the formats that were supported back then?

[shalym]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Interesting. Perhaps they no longer support some of the formats that were supported back then?

I can still download my other books in mobi format if I choose to, (but why would I?) so I don't think that's it.

Shari

[DNSB]

I went back to some of my earliest Baen purchases and a test on Eric Flint's Mother of Demons showed I was able to download it and the download is now ePub. I originally downloaded it in .lit format. So, that strongly suggests it's not a file format issue.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by shalym

Actually, this isn't true for Baen--I bought 4 Heinlein books from them in 2011 that I no longer have access to from the website. I had already downloaded them and added them to Calibre when I purchased them, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't be able to access them at all anymore.

For reference, the books in question are:
Citizen of the Galaxy
Have Space Suit - Will Travel
Methuselah's Children
Revolt in 2100

I found this out because I recently went to re-read them on my Kindle and realized that they were in the old Mobi format, so I went to re-download them from Baen, and they weren't available to download, even though they show in my orders.

Shari

Baen no longer has the rights to those. The ebook publisher is now Spectrum Literary Agency, Inc.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Baen no longer has the rights to those. The ebook publisher is now Spectrum Literary Agency, Inc.

Ok, but then how does Amazon get away with letting me still download books that they are not allowed to sell anymore? I'm not trying to buy the books from Baen, I bought them 15 years ago, just like I did the ones from Amazon.

Shari

[cfrizz]

Sounds like more encouragement to immediately download and save your books no matter where you buy them from if you are a book saver/rereader. Something I have always done from day one.