Amazon has released at least one new Kindle e-reader every year since 2009 when the second generation Kindle came out.
The first generation Kindle was released in 2007, so 2008 was the only year that Amazon didn’t release a new Kindle device since the very first Kindle was introduced.
Some folks have been hoping for a new Kindle Paperwhite with a warm frontlight option this year, but at this point it looks like there will almost certainly be no new Kindles released at all in 2020.
Amazon has never released a new Kindle in December, and they usually accept pre-orders for a few weeks before release day, so unless they announce a new Kindle this week (which they won’t) it’s safe to assume no new Kindles will be released before the end of December.
It’s been an unusual year, but that hasn’t stopped other companies from releasing new ereaders in 2020. Onyx still managed to release eight new models this year. Pocketbook released three new 6-inch models, including the Pocketbook Color with a color E Ink screen.
Amazon released two new models in 2019, the frontlit entry-level Kindle and the Kindle Oasis 3. They also released a new Kids Kindle so technically they released three Kindles in 2019 but it’s the same exact Kindle as the entry-level model.
A couple of times, like in 2013 and 2015, Amazon just released a new Kindle with minor upgrades, but at least that was something new.
This year they did start offering a couple of extra colors for the Kindle Paperwhite, but the color of the back is hardly worth mentioning, and they’d been selling those in China for at least a year before so that wasn’t even anything new for 2020.
It’s weird to see a full year go by without any new Kindles getting released, but at least it should mean that Amazon will almost certainly release something new in 2021. Let’s just hope it’s worth the wait.
I realize that reading ebooks has somewhat increased due to the Corona Virus but it makes me think of this quote(s) :
“Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader will fail, Steve Jobs says, because Americans simply don’t read. From The New York Times:
“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore,” he said. “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.”
https://www.wired.com/2008/01/steve-jobs-peop/
I recently bought a Onyx Boox Poke 3 but that is from Asia and Pocketbook is from Europe (I think) an people I would venture to guess read more there than America but I’m not sure because I have not looked at the statistics.
Sorry, if that offends people here but does anyone have any statistics to prove Steve Jobs wrong ?
Twelve years later people still buy ereaders proving that he was wrong. But let’s do better.
“Americans…” the world is larger than the US and Kindle and Kobo sell ebooks globally.
NYTimes statistic quoted is dubious. Library book lending is much higher among all generations even Gen Z than 0-1 a year: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=Reading-Through-the-Ages-Generational-Reading-Survey
An ereader is a niche device because it appeals to avid readers which are in the minority. If you’re going to read only 3-5 books a year you will likely not spend $$ or $$$ on an ereader. But Jobs final mistake is to equate ubiquitousness with success. Even precious iOS and Apple devices are not in every household.
Finally I think that Jobs could never understand something that puts function over form. The idea of an ereader would never have appealed to him. And I don’t think that he was a genius and I would wish people quit worshiping him.
They could’ve at least given us a major overhaul of their software. It’s been bugging lately and they still haven’t given us better customization options. We still have the same crappy margin, line spacing and the worst font size options in the industry. No excuses.
I agree that the Kindle page layout could be improved. When I read on the Nook Glowlight 3, and go back to a Kindle, the Kindle page layout suffers by comparison.
Look at the good news. Kindles may not be updated much, but they are very durable. I have 2 Nook Simple Touches. The soft rubber covering has deteriorated to the point of making their use hit-and-miss. Mostly miss. I;’m not sure why I keep hanging on to them. There is no such durability problem with Kindles.
My father was 87 and had Lewy Body Dementia. He carried his Kindle 3 everywhere within the house with him even though he forgot how to read. It had a Fintie folio cover on it. It was dropped uncountable amount of times, sat on, stepped on and still worked as if new. After he passed away two years ago I traded it in and got full trade in amount as good condition. The screen and casing had no damage at all after all of the physical abuse it suffered thru. So I can attest to how durable the older Kindles are. Somehow I do not think the newer Kindles would hold up as well.
I wasn’t expecting one this year since they released an updated Oasis last year, and they no longer release new Paperwhites every 2 years. They definitely aren’t paying as much attention to the e-readers other than the fires it seems.