Once again it appears highly unlikely that Amazon will release another new Kindle this year for the busy holiday shopping season.
It’s been two years in a row now without any new Kindles getting released in the fall and it’s rather disappointing.
This used to be an exciting time of year when new ereaders would get released after summer.
Amazon released a new Kindle in the second half of the year every fall from 2009 through 2014, usually in October or September.
Now this year Amazon has barely even bothered to release a new tablet model. They updated the Fire HD 8 and lowered the price but it’s hardly any different than last year’s model.
We got one new interesting ereader with the release of the Kobo Aura One in September—at least Kobo is keeping things interesting.
I was hoping that a new 8-inch Kindle would get released to compete with the Kobo Aura One but it doesn’t look like that’s going to be happening anytime soon, if ever.
I thought maybe the Kindle Voyage would be getting updated after 2 years when it suddenly was on backorder for a few weeks, but now it’s back in stock so that dream is gone.
It’s weird how Amazon has changed their Kindle release schedule over the past couple of years.
They took everyone by surprise when they released the Kindle Oasis at the end of April this year. Then they released an updated entry-level Kindle in July. At least we got a couple of new Kindles in 2016, even if one is basically a repeat, but it sure makes this time of year a lot more boring than it used to be without any new Kindles getting released.
Hopefully this means that the next update will be a significant one.
I will be disappointed if there is no Kindle refresh or Fire tablet refresh this Fall (the new $90 Fire HD8 doesn’t really count in my opinion), but I haven’t given up hope just yet… An 8″ e-reader would be nice, a color e-ink kindle would be great, and a new Fire tablet (a true upgrade with a high res screen) would be fantastic!!! Any of the above would be a welcome addition to my growing collection of Amazon slabs; the most current being my Oasis. But I doubt it’s going to happen seeing as they just released the Oasis, Basic Kindle 2016, White Kindle Paperwhite and new Fire HD8 basically in the second half of this year… A little disappointing but at least there are still plenty of options available and I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from Amazon in these catagories.
May be Amazon have revised their release strategy. Instead of the autumn release we are now getting devices updated incrementally at different times of the year.
I also think the Fire 10HD needs a refresh.
I wonder how much more they can really do! The current Kindles are really good. Given the limitations of the Kindle system I’m not sure there’s much room for improvement.
The changes I’d like to see are things like being able to access Dropbox and download my books from there and to be able to synch them with Moon+ reader on my phone, also through Dropbox. I do most of my reading on my Voyage but I read enough on my phone that it’s worth using the app I like best, which is Moon+. So I have to sync manually. I download my Voyage books from Amazon and my Moon+ books from Dropbox, but they’re the same books. I buy them all from Amazon.
But that isn’t likely to happen because Amazon likes to keep us locked in. I’m not sure what else is left for them to do, at least not until some kind of new technology comes along.
Barry
I disagree that the current kindles are really good. While I do love the smoothness of the Kindle operating system, they have really big issues with screen evenness and contrast and a poor font collection with hardly any boldness and limited font sizes. They also don’t have the option to justify text and still no waterproof options.
So while I would definitely welcome a larger Kindle, there are other important things they need to get figured out and implemented into the Kindle line up.
It’s one of those things when the majority of people say they don’t need it but once they actually use it and realize how good it is it’s hard to ever go back. You don’t need it until you actually use it.
Bigger reader! I had given up on Kobo because of their buggy software and just read my Sony books on the iPad but I really don’t like travelling with the iPad. I did buy the new Kobo Edition 2 for handbag travel and despite everyone saying it is a fail – I like it. So much so that I also bought the Aura One and absolutely love it. I always said whoever came out with the larger ereader would then get my exclusive business and right now that is Kobo. I would really like Amazon to compete with Kobo by bringing out a larger reader mainly because you really can’t top Amazon’s book inventory. Yes it’s great to be able to fit the 6 inch reader in your pocket, but to be able to curl up in a chair for a long reading session with the larger reader – that tops portability to me.
The Aura One is amazing despite some battery issues. It’s everything a Kindle should be.
The Aura One is so very definitely “amazing” as you claim.
It *amazes* me how it randomly opens on different pages the book that I was reading and bookmarked before closing the sleep cover.
It *amazes* me as to how it decides to highlight passages in the book I am reading and it does this whilst “sleeping” and even has those unwanted highlights sitting there ready for me when I just want to open my book and continue reading.
It *amazes* me as to how it chooses to open a book that I have not even started reading as yet when I open the sleep cover.
It *amazes* me as to how the battery power, when I close the sleep cover and it is showing 74%, then when I open it up some 12 hours later, it shows me only 32% battery power, *and* I have Wi-Fi and autosync disabled. *TRULY AMAZING !!!*
It *amazes* me when it takes me to either a totally different book than what I closed on, *OR*, it opens in the book that I closed on but not on the page I bookmarked and closed.
All of these cute “tricks” belonging to my Kobo Aura One are so definitely “amazing” that I am so very surprised that Amazon have not yet managed to incorporate them into my Kindle Voyage and therefore make my Kindle experience just as *AMAZING* as my truly abysmal Kobo Aura One experience.
The other *amazing* thing about the Kobo Aura One is that I ordered it from Kobo UK. It was delivered from Kobo in the Netherlands. It is a pain in the neck to attempt to return it and so I suck it and regret [again!] buying an e-reader that promised so much and *ONLY* delivered a big screen with red bleeding lights in the middle of the night.
Had it been a Kindle e-reader with so many faults against what it was advertised as to be, a simple message/phone call to Amazon would have resulted in an immediate arrangement/collection of the faulty device without any single effort on my part. Now *THAT* is truly *AMAZING*!
And there is not a single *AMAZING* thing about the Kobo Aura One apart from it’s larger screen which warrants such adulation from you or anyone else.
Obviously there’s a problem with the sleepcover because I haven’t experienced any of those issues that you describe. People have different experiences with the Aura One so there’s no need to be belligerent towards folks that have a different opinion about it than you (that’s why your other comment was removed).
What I mean by saying that it’s everything a Kindle should is that it has better and more even lighting aside from being just larger. It also has a better font collection, the ability to side-load fonts, bolder and in my experience crisper fonts, more customization options such as weight adjustment, more size and line-spacing options, justification, the ability to add patches, more storage, standard e-pub format, doesn’t have advertisements, the ability to show book cover in sleep mode, is waterproof, has over-drive and pocket integration, shows how many pages in left in a chapter, etc etc etc. So as you see it’s not just about size but functionality. These are things that make a difference which I use and depend on. Not just another 6″ Kindle that’s smaller, thinner, and lighter, with an included cover, that’s not a big deal. And while I do love Kindle software because of the smoothness of it, the downside is that it’s very limiting and the screens are off white, two-toned, and fonts aren’t bold enough let alone none of the customization options I mentioned above. I have gone through too many Voyage and Oasis exchanges to get a decent Screen with no pinkish or yellowish hues and shadows to no avail before finally giving up. I do love Amazon’s customer service and exchange policy and it seems like you have a faulty Kobo Aura One because I experience none of the issues that you do. It’s okay though, it happens. Next time try purchasing from a power seller on eBay that accepts returns even if you’re paying an extra 20 bucks. It’s worth the extra cost just in case you need to return it. Also instead of sounding so sarcastic and hateful try listing some of the benefits that you experience using a Kobo because there are many as just listed. It’s not just about being bigger.
I am so very disappointed that there is no sign of a larger screen Kindle on the horizon. As per usual, I jumped in and ordered the Kobo Aura One as soon as it became available in the UK and after two weeks of it I have gone back to using my Kindle Voyage.
It is so frustrating with the Aura One: apart from the battery issue which still affects mine after the latest update, there is the huge annoyance of whenever I open the official Kobo Aura One sleep cover I have no idea what I am going to see.
Most often, in fact *always*, the book I was reading and bookmarked when I closed the sleep cover opens at a different page. I can’t remember where I was so I then have to start flipping backwards and forwards until I find my bookmark. And apart from opening at the wrong page it often opens with sections of the book “highlighted” for notes etc. What gives?
Kobo’s software is crop!
Following the update, the blasted thing is opening on books I have not even started reading yet! I only have 19 books on it so far and I doubt if I will load very many more.
Yes, the bigger screen is excellent but when I sit/lie down to read I do it in the expectation of having a couple of hours relaxing, away from the real world, with books enveloping me.
Instead I get an abortion of a start to my relaxation session and that puts me in a bad mood.
I have bought and tried ereaders since they first ever came out. Sony/Kindle/other Kobos/Bookeen etc., etc.
Only 1 single brand of ereader has *ever* made the grade with decent software and that is the Kindle.
If *only* Amazon would listen and offer a bigger screen size reader.
I bought my Aura One from Kobo at the end of September. I have not had a battery drain problem with my device. The recent update installed without a problem. I can charge the device to 100% and in the morning it is still fully charged. I love sleep covers but a lot of people complaining about their problems with their Aura One seem to mention the sleep cover a lot. I have the option for the sleep cover to wake and sleep turned off in settings, my light is at 3%, natural light at half, wifi is on, sync set to afternoon, power off after one hour. I have never had a problem with closing the cover and finding a different book or random books opening. Granted all of the options should work as advertised without workarounds but “Kindles are perfect and better” is not exactly a true statement. I have had problems with the ambient light working properly with the Voyage and just shut it off, the page turn buttons with the haptic feel was a fail for me and the turn buttons didn’t always work, the Oasis had a problem with it’s battery and cover and screen clarity. I have bought and used every ereader that has come out from the major companies also and where I eventually settled to Amazon exclusively it was more because of their bookstore inventory and not for the device. Kobo coming out with the Aura One with the larger screen has made me a fan. I have always wanted a larger e-ink screen and if I have to forego the sleep/wake functionality I am willing to do so.