Amazon has started pushing back the shipping date on the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition so either they’re selling a lot of them or they don’t have many to begin with.
When the new Kindle Paperwhite was first announced I tried to order the Signature Edition but the estimated delivery date was November 11th-19th, despite saying right on the product page the release date is October 27th.
The other versions of the new Paperwhite, the 8GB standard version with and without ads, and the kids model all still have an estimated delivery date on release day, October 27th.
But now the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is showing a delivery date about a month after release day. I just tried checking out at Amazon and got an estimated delivery window of Nov. 23, 2021 – Dec. 1, 2021, and that’s with Prime.
Since it comes with a cover and a better warranty, I still think the kids model is the better deal if you don’t care about wireless charging and auto brightness and don’t need extra storage space for audiobooks, but the Signature Edition has been the #1 best selling Kindle on Amazon since it was announced so it appears that a lot of people want the upgrades.
When Amazon releases new Kindles the shipping date often get pushed back during the pre-order process so this isn’t unusual, but it is a bit odd that all the 8GB versions are still available with release day delivery while the 32GB Signature Edition is a month out.
The wireless charging dock for the Signature Edition has a release day of December 1st and has since the beginning so its release is a bit further out as well. Same goes for the bundle packages since they include the charging dock.
Amazon is very conservative with their shipping dates. They always come in a lot sooner than expected. That’s been my experience with practically everything shipped by Amazon.
Hmm. My Amazon order says October 29th for the shipping date. Maybe certain people are seeing different dates than others?
Was it ordered in the US? Amazon’s shipping algorithm has seriously been shafting me lately so maybe the delayed date is partially because of that. My current estimated delivery date for most items is 12 days out and that’s with “Prime delivery”. I just cancelled Prime because I get the same estimated delivery date without it most of the time. Prime shipping has really gone down the tubes lately, at least for me.
Yes, it was ordered in the US.
Man, that sucks. Maybe they’re prioritizing the US orders over everyone else. That wouldn’t surprise me.
That wouldn’t surprise me either but I’m in the US and got an estimated delivery of November 11-19 2 minutes after it was announced so I don’t get it, especially when I can still get release day delivery for all the 8GB versions.
The auto-brightness on this thing would have to be a whole lot better than it’s ever been on my Voyage. I’ve had it permanently switched off, it’s so irritating. And who needs wireless charging (for which you need to buy an additional item) on a Kindle? I’m frankly baffled why the Signature is apparently outselling the standard version.
I never liked auto brightness either. Seeing it adjust on its own is distracting to me and takes me out of the book. I’d rather just fine tune brightness myself. I do really like wireless charging for my phone and earbuds, but considering a Kindle only needs charged like once a month it seems kind of unnecessary. I think most people probably get the Signature Edition because it has more storage space and people are conditioned to think more is better, even if it’s practically impossible to read 8GB worth of ebooks before the battery wears out, much less 32GB worth.
Not least when storage in the cloud is effectively unlimited,
I know audiobooks and mangas consume more space than ebooks, but I can’t believe there are enough buyers who need the ability to carry 32GB of content to consume in places with no wifi to make the Signature the hot seller.
Still, you can’t argue with the numbers. Amazon knows something I don’t.
I can actually attest as to who would want that expanded storage military they frequently are in zones or out to sea on ships for extended periods of time without access to cell service and wifi being able to supper load a device with a huge range of books can really help them keep their sanity
And while I’m kvetching, look at how much space you need clear to wirelessly charge a Signature in a case (pic above). Let us await the inevitable backlash!
It does look quite a bit larger than a standard wireless charger, but I like how you’ll just be able to set it the charger without having to find the sweet spot, and it also doubles as a stand. With my phone I have to situate it just right for it to charge and that’s kind of annoying.
Yeah, but look at what you have to do with the case, assuming you don’t remove it every time you charge. It doesn’t look like you can charge it with the case closed or folded back. Having to keep the case wide open as in that pic means effectively doubling the footprint of the charger. Seems to me just plugging in a cable is no more hassle and probably less.
I think that’s just to show it will work with the cover on. In fact it says on the wireless charger product page it will work with covers up to 4mm thick.
I don’t like the with ads…..so the price difference between ad free and the signature edition which is also ad free makes it worth the minor bump to get all the features and not have to worry about it later. Solely a, what if I regret it later, and, oh its a pittance might as well.
I hemmed and hawed and ordered the kids’ bundle. While I was kind of excited about the wireless charging, it’s not something I NEED my Kindle to have built-in. Heck, I don’t even really need a new Kindle. I’m one of those wishy-washy people who change their mind all the time. I did send in my refurb Oasis for 20% off and $75 credit. The darn thing held a charge but not for as long as my Paperwhite 4 or my Voyage. (That was from the start, not a new issue.) I do hope this non-Signature PW 5 really does last at least a month without needing to be charged. I only read for an average of 30 minutes a day on my bedside Kindle. (And maybe an average of 20-30 minutes on my living room/outside Kindle.)
The Signature Kindle can use any wireless charger, can’t it? Well, provided you can line it up correctly.
Yeah, any Qi wireless charger. Being so big I imagine it will take some time to get the placement just right.
I ordered the Signature Edition on Day 1 of pre-order availability and also got quoted the November 11-19 delivery date. Just tonight, however, I got an update saying the estimated delivery date for my order is now October 29. Sure glad to see it moved up!
November 23 on the delivery for me, no update yet.
I ordered mine probably within the first hour of availability as soon as I saw the news, so I assume that’s why it got moved up. I’m guessing that your quoted delivery date being November 23rd instead of November 11-19 that Nathan and I received means you ordered yours a bit later? I’m guessing it’s a FIFO situation.
My theory is that perhaps they didn’t expect to sell so many Signature Editions so they prioritized the other models and then maybe ramped things up after seeing the demand.
Or perhaps even cancellations from those who didn’t want to wait that long or changed their minds and went for the less expensive options opened some slots up.
Why is the delivery date November 27, in NYS.
The Signature is being released Nov 10, so after the basic initial release date anyway.
But whilst I don’t need or want 32GB or wireless charging, the system overheads takes up over 2GB so you only get 5GB of usable storage on the “8GB” model.
Apple finally put a usable amount of storage in their base model iPads this October 2021 release, shame on Amazon for not having a 16GB base model.
PS. I had no idea the backorders were blowing out, as amazon.com.au STILL says “This item will be released on November 10, 2021.” so no indication of urgency to get your order in. I thought I should start ordering Christmas presents now and went to buy it only to be advised at Checkout “Estimated Delivery: Jan 6, 2022 – Jan 24, 2022” … WTF?!?!
The base model has 6.23GB available, enough for 4 or 5 thousand books easily. I don’t know how anybody could possibly manage having that many books downloaded to a Kindle at one time, especially when there is no bulk download option, and having to navigate a library that large on a Kindle when you can only view 6 titles at a time would be very difficult. More storage space is just not logical. Even if you read one book per day for 10 years you wouldn’t hit 4000, and by that time the Kindle’s battery is likely going to be worn out.
It’s for audiobooks and comics and manga. If you don’t enjoy any of those I can understand why you’re perplexed, but for those of us that do, this is awesome! I have had 40 GB of audiobooks on a phone. I’ve had 20 or 30 GB of comics on a phone. This isn’t a lot of storage for all the types of media Kindles offer access to. Honestly, I’d have preferred 128 GB.
I ordered one last week (32GB) in Canada. It’s set as delivery date pending. Do you know if there’s still shortages for this product?
Looking forward to receiving it. Thanks for the great content as always!
It seems they got more in stock after the holiday shopping season. I think it’s been available regularly since then on Amazon US.
I just ordered the bundle including the signature paperwhite. Already received the cover and will get the charging station on 3/4/2022. The Signature Paperwhite is being shipped between 4/5-4/7/2022. I cannot figure out what’s going on.