It’s hard to believe but Kindles have been around for nearly 10 years now.
Amazon released the first Kindle (pictured above) in November 2007. It sold out in less than 6 hours and was on backorder for several months after that.
So with the Kindle’s tenth anniversary coming up in just a few months, it makes you wonder if Amazon has anything planned.
It’s been over a year since Amazon released a new Kindle, and that only brought a few minor changes to the entry-level model.
A few months before that they released the Kindle Oasis. It has an innovative design but the price is so high that most people won’t even consider it as an option.
The Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon’s most popular Kindle, has been on the market for two years now without an update, and the Kindle Voyage will be three years old in November.
That sets things up nicely for a new mid-level Kindle later this fall.
It’s hard to imagine Amazon completely ignoring the Kindle’s achievements over the past 10 years and doing nothing to celebrate the occasion. It seems an unlikely time to not release a new Kindle, especially for a company known for releasing a new model just about every year.
It will be interesting to see how things pan out over the next couple of months. What if Amazon decides to bring back the keyboard? 😀
!3″ Kindle with stylus and I’m there day one
My guess is that they will release 2 to 3 models. Probably an 8 inch model along with possible refresh of the Paperwhite and Voyage.
My bet is they come out with a new software update…
Add a couple more inches to the Oasis and I’m there.
My question is what are they going to do with the Oasis if they come out with a new model?
The Oasis is already extremely overpriced and a new model with better specs will certainly under cut it. I don’t see Amazon keeping the Oasis and coming out with a new premium model which costs more, that would be suicide, unless of course it’s bigger. Based on the current lineup there is absolutely no room for a 6 inch model without eliminating on of them.
I just want a larger Kindle and I’m sure a majority of readers are aging and need glasses. Give me an 8-13″ e-reader and I’ll pay you up to 400 dollars. Just provide decent PDF support (reflow).
What can you do to make the Kindle better? It’s not like they have glaring deficiencies that need too be fixed. People talk about bigger kindles but really, if you’ve even tried to read on any sort of large device you get tired of holding it. The small form factor follows the more important desire for light weight.
I’ll ask again. What can / could you do to make the Kindle better?
Possible improvements:
Better contrast without the backlight.
Color e-ink?
Faster refresh rate.
A sensor for ambient light levels, and auto dimming of the backlight in the dark.
Narrower bezel.
“What can you do to make the Kindle better”?? You probably should investigate Kindle’s competitors because they have answered your question.
Can users add fonts? Can users adjust margins to their *own* liking? How about font sizes? Or font weights? Or color temperature?
With Kindle, you get the options that Jeff Bezos *wants* you to have, not the options that you CAN have.
Then there’s storage. For some reason, Amazon gives Japanese 32GB in *their* PaperWhite but American Kindles? Sorry, Pal, you’ll get 4GB and like it. Apparently.
Then there are the bugs that Amazon refuses to fix. Like “stuck” books in the indexing process. Like glacially *slow* indexing of multiple sideloaded books, even when the books don’t get stuck. Those problems have been around since the first Kindle was introduced.
Kobo has NONE of these problems so, yeah, Kindle *can* be improved.
BDR
You are right Kobo offers all those things and larger sized readers to boot.
BUT…
They forgot the ability ro send notes and highlights to PC in perfect PDF format directly from device with a simple click.
Annotations are important to me and while I prefer Kobo i no longer use it because annotations are crucial to what i do.
The bigger Kobo and the iPad mini are both very comfortable to hold for long reading sessions. I am almost in the “senior” category with weak wrists and hand strength – and I have no problems using either for four or more hours of reading at a time. The ability to have larger print and not feel as if I am reading flash cards and the comfort lights are wonderful and to me make the 6 inch devices undesirable. My PW is a drawer and doesn’t get any usage. My Nook Glowlight had been traded in. I hope Amazon does come out with a 7 or 8 inch device but I doubt if I will purchase it. They have taken too long – I have moved on to Kobo and my iPad Mini/Aura One are all that I need now.
Obviously you’ve never held a Sony DPT before.
How about different color backgrounds, like sepia?
Easy. A better range of font sizes and spacing options and a larger screen. Kobo’s software may be more sluggish than Kindle’s but the bespoke reading options and larger screen wins hands down (for me)
I second this — a better range of font sizes and spacing options.
They also need to work on reducing the price of the Oasis. The Oasis is just way overpriced.
A relaunch of an upgraded Kindle 3(keyboard) is a real possibility and would be very welcome.
The hardware for all those keys was expensive.
I own 2 kindles love them both whatever amazon bring out will most prob be expensive but no matter the price you know your getting value for money i had my 1st kindle over 6 years before i got bought my paper white has long has i can sit n enjoy my book im happy .
A 6-inch entry-level color e-paper Kindle? Price – 399 USD.
I really hope they will release an 8-in model with the price and features of a Voyage.
A Paperwhite with side paddles like the Keyboard model will get my vote. Voyage side keys are useless. As I have wrist and thumb damage I find touchscreens hard to use and I would like real clicky paddles.
The larger size 8 x 13″! I had my original kindle 2 for 9 years. Had to replace it & went to eBay to get another of the same size. Love it!
Paperwhite with keyboard, or a tablet/Kindle hybrid, just enough to link to Amazon music and audible.
Amazon has a monopoly in America and the UK and anyone with the *slightest* brush with an introductory economics class will tell you that the first thing to go in a monopoly is innovation.
Will Amazon give its users some cool new device; something to keep up with the competition? Remember Ma Bell? When *their* idea of a “cool new device” was a Princess phone in baby blue? That’s because they had a monopoly, same as Kindle. THAT should answer your question.
Amazon doesn’t need to listen to the market because it doesn’t *have* to listen. Don’t blame Amazon because they’re just doing what monopolies do. Blame the ineptness of Kobo’s marketing department and blame B&N for their ineptness in marketing AND product development.
At any rate, all that *might* change in the near future. Indigo, a Canadian bookseller who makes a *healthy* profit, is making noise about entering the US market. WHY will that change anything? It’s because they have a close relationship with Kobo and are (basically) the primary retail seller of Kobo devices.
Once Kindle faces some competition in America, we *might* start seeing some innovation from Amazon. Again.
Kind of Like how Apple has no competition and they have stuck with the same iphone design for 3 years because they can. People will still buy.
Apple doesn’t just stifle innovation – they actively turn off features of their new phones so they can introduce them on future models. It’s as if they know the perfect phone is possible now but they deliberately give it to you in tiny little upgrades over ten years. This is why their new super phone the iPhone X has its GigabitLTE chip switched off. Yet still millions will buy it – only to have to upgrade next year when Apple reveals the latest “must have” on the iPhone 9 is its Gigabit LTE feature.
Kindle 10 Anniversary? Just celebrate it yourself. Buy the kobo Aura One and give your kindle away. Funny how Amazon was started by selling “Papery things tied up with string” then copied Sony who started the e-reader revolution. Now Amazon are opening bookshops that sell paper books.
Perhaps e-readers will end up in cupboards like the Hard Disc Music Players unloved. Funny old world.
The moment KOBO allows me to send all my notes, highlights and annotations to my PC or Mac via email i’ll sell my Kindle.
I can’t believe I have my KOBO Aura One sitting on my shelf collecting dust and have to use the Voyage for this crucial feature.
Easy Hardware:
New Voyage Gen.2
– Waterproof
– Wireless charging
– faster processor / hardware
– Blutooth (Keyboard/Sound/eBook transfer from computer)
– more free Memory for eBooks (8 GB)
Easy Software:
– Screensaver from own pictures
– Fonts like mentioned above (more setting, installing own fonts etc.)
– Goodreads for other countries (Germany), probably coming down the road
– better browser with Cloud-synch (Bookmarks, Reading list)
does anyone have an idea of when it will be released? I am new to e-reader world and was looking to buy the paperwhite or voyager but should I wait for the new release?
If the next kindle is not out by the end of this calendar year, and does not have waterproofing, my next purchase will be two Aura One readers.
I would love Bluetooth or WiFi sync for books, and wireless charging so the waterproofing works better. A larger size would be nice but I’m not making that a high priority.
I think if Amazon released a crisp, clear screen with great quality control that had wireless charging and waterproofing, then offered it in two sizes, it could revitalize this segment of the market.
However, as many have noted, innovation is killed by a monopoly. So I’m not encouraged by the prospect and will probably go Kobo soon. Good thing I sideload and aren’t forced into the Amazon ecosystem.
Wish list: Leather or cotton back (not plastic).White bezel (helps make the screen seem whiter). Smart screen sense for when you’re resting thumb on screen without the page turning. Non-blue back light. Whiter whites, blacker blacks. Sharper fonts.
iPad Pro 12.9 inch gives a brilliant reading experience for the home armchair user. I’ve owned nearly every Kindle, including the DX and Paperwhite. This huge iPad tops them all. I’m happy to charge it every ten hours in exchange for turning the pages 1/4 as often as my six inch paperwhite. For those waiting for a bigger Kindle and willing to pay $300-400 bucks for it, Apple already makes it for $750, and it does so much more. Only need ten inches of reading space? IPad basic at $319.