Got an Old Kindle? It Might Not Work Anymore

Amazon has quietly moved the goalposts for vintage Kindles. It has been reported that the company told customers via email that, starting May 20, it will end support for Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 or earlier — which means those devices will no longer be able to download new books from the Kindle Store. For people still happily reading on hardware that’s a decade (or more) old, that’s a punch to the gut. Nostalgia doesn’t pay the engineering bills.

What’s changing — and which models are affected

If you own a Kindle 1st Gen (2007), Kindle DX (2009), Kindle DX Graphite (2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 (2011), Kindle Touch (2011), Kindle 5 (2012) or the Paperwhite 1st Gen (2012), downloading new content via the Kindle Store will stop after May 20. The affected Fire tablets include the Kindle Fire 1st Gen (2011), Kindle Fire 2nd Gen (2012), Fire HD 7 (2012) and Fire HD 8.9 (2012). To check your model: Settings > Device Options > Device Info. If you only see a serial number, a quick web search of that number will usually reveal the model.

Why now — and what Amazon says

Amazon says these models “have been supported for at least 14 years — some as long as 18 years,” and it has been reported that the company pointed to advances in technology as a factor. Security experts argue the real drivers are maintenance and vulnerability risk: Mark Beare of Malwarebytes told Wirecutter that some hardware-specific flaws can’t be fixed with software alone, and keeping ancient devices patched becomes an engineering burden. Translation: it’s cheaper to nudge people toward new hardware than to try to retrofit decade-old electronics.

What you can do

Amazon is offering a 20% discount on new Kindles plus a $20 e-book credit applied with purchase through June 20 — a carrot, if you will. You’re not being locked out immediately: existing content should still be readable, and some users may sideload books via USB or keep using local files. But whether you upgrade, switch ecosystems, or stubbornly clutch your old reader, the moment forces a choice: pay up, adapt, or say goodbye to an old friend. Which will you pick?

Sources: nytimes.com, Hacker News