CHONGQING, CHINA – 2016/08/16: Kindle on a sofa. Amazon released a new entry level Kindle in the … [+]
The Amazon Kindle is a great invention. The latest version of its top-flight Kindle Oasis is just spectacular.
No, no, of course it can’t compete with a book, with its sumptuous feel and pristine ink, its brilliant tactile qualities and so on. Not to mention the lack of need for batteries.
But the ebook reader has many other advantages, like compactness, lightness (no matter how many books are on board), search engines that outdo most book indexes and the facility to download a new book wherever you are, without even getting up from your sun bed on the beach, you lazy thing.
Except, that last brilliant feature may be about to stop on some Kindles in the coming months, from December this year, apparently. It’s what Amazon describes as some prior models and, to be fair to the company, it’s not its fault.
The brilliant Kindle Oasis.
It’s because internet connectivity on many Kindles uses wi-fi but also 2G and 3G cellular connections and some Mobile Network Operators are phasing these out.
It means that many Kindles, as soon as the phasing out has happened, will only have wifi connectivity. This is a shame, as buying a Kindle with cellular connectivity has always attracted a premium on the price. Again, it’s not Amazon which is closing down the networks.
But there’s worse news for owners of the first- and second-generation Kindles and the larger-screened Kindle DX. They only went online to download new books via cellular connections, so they won’t be able to connect wirelessly at all.
Amazon points out that the titles you’ve already bought and downloaded will still be there, but these devices won’t have internet connectivity any more. Period. And while that’s not quite the same as the device stopping working, some owners may feel it’s not far off.
The original Amazon Kindle.
Now, the first Kindle came out in 2007, so it has had around 14 years of cellular connection, which is pretty impressive.
Other Kindles which are affected, according to a support page from Amazon, are: Kindle Keyboard 3rd generation, Kindle Touch (4th Generation), Kindle Paperwhite (5th Generation)/(6th Generation)/(7th Generation), Kindle Voyage (7th Generation) and Kindle Oasis (8th Generation).
These are the readers with cellular connectivity but no 4G connection, and these will become wi-fi only devices when the signal goes.
So, what to do? Well, there’s a trade-in program which is available. But, additionally, Amazon sent emails to some of its U.S. customers on Wednesday, according to The Verge, which is where Amazon states that the connectivity change starts at the end of 2021.
And in this email, Amazon has sent these customers a promotion code valid for the next couple of weeks. It offers $50 off a new Kindle Paperwhite or Oasis, plus $15 in credits for ebooks. It seems if you have an older Kindle ,the deals get even better. For instance, if you’re that most loyal of customers, someone with the very first-generation Kindle, then you’ll get the latest top-flight Oasis and a cover free. That’s pretty cool (though, honestly, if you’ve been using that Kindle for that long you really deserve an upgrade). Here’s what the company told The Verge:
“For customers with Kindle (1st Generation), Amazon is offering a free Kindle Oasis (10th Generation) device and cover.
“Customers with Kindle (1st and 2nd Generation), Kindle DX (2nd Generation), and Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation) can receive $70 off a new Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Oasis, plus $25 in ebook credits.
“Customers with Kindle Touch (4th Generation), Kindle Paperwhite (5th Generation, 6th Generation, and 7th Generation), Kindle Voyage (7th Generation), and Kindle Oasis (8th Generation) can receive $50 off a new Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Oasis, plus $15 in ebook credits.”
In the long run, it may make people feel they will choose wi-fi versions rather than paying the extra for cellular connectivity. That said, if the latest cellular-connected Kindles offer it for the 14 years that the original Kindle has, that seems a pretty good deal.
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