I’ve seen a surprising number of people saying they think that Amazon could be exiting the ereader market because of the fact that most Kindles are currently out of stock and unavailable to purchase from multiple Amazon websites around the globe.
The base Kindle has been unavailable for the past month, and now the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Scribe are in short supply as well, and with no announcement from Amazon about any new Kindles coming out, people are starting to jump to conclusions.
For the record, I’m not in that camp. I don’t think Amazon is in the process of discontinuing Kindles. I can see why people would think that, especially with Fire tablets being more affordable and more popular than Kindles, and with most Kindle sub-models being unavailable to purchase without any replacements during some of Amazon’s busiest shopping days of the year with Prime Big Deal Days underway.
I think it’s just a matter of bad timing. I think it’s more likely there was some kind of delay that set back the release date of new Kindles later than expected. Maybe the software wasn’t ready or there was a supply issue somewhere in the chain, but I don’t think Amazon is going to stop selling Kindles anytime soon.
First off, there are the two new devices that turned up on the FCC. There’s no guarantee they are Kindles, but they are described as an “Electronic Display Device”. That could mean a lot of things, but if you go back through earlier FCC listings, that same exact description was used for what we now know is the 2022 Kindle, based on the product ID number.
Secondly, some of the links have started to change on the main Kindle page at Amazon that now lead to “Page Not Found” screens, indicating they’re working on things behind the scenes.
One thing that’s weird about this whole scenario is the fact that Amazon usually announces new Kindles about a month before they get released (with the Scribe it was 2 months). They usually accept pre-orders up until release day, and everybody knows new Kindles are coming.
Why they haven’t announced any new models yet is a bit puzzling, especially when the older models are mostly gone. Why are they holding back? There’s definitely something off about the way Amazon is handling things this time around, but I don’t think it means they are planning to phase out Kindles entirely.
Maybe big changes are in store with some new color Kindles coming out and Amazon is trying to keep things quiet, or maybe the changes on the new models are so minor they aren’t worth creating any hype over (like the leak that suggests the new entry-level Kindle has a brighter frontlight and that’s about it for changes).
Either way, the wait continues. But I most definitely expect to see some new Kindles released at some point in 2024. It makes no sense for Amazon to stop selling Kindles, even if their iOS and Android apps are more popular by a wide margin.
I doubt they would give up Kindle devices; they are the vehicles for selling content which is profitable. What may happen is they could put out a bunch of lackluster devices…basic unit and maybe a Paperwhite type, which do actually sell the most units. Sort of like the Fire tablets. While I have not seen stats, my guess is that people who buy upper end devices probably also buy more content.
I think you are right.
The rumors states that there will be at last one Kindle color with a Gallery 3 screen. Those screens are less available than the Kaleido 3. So, I think Amazon might just be stocking a pile of Kindle color before the worldwide release.
I don’t know what display technology is being used but the colored device is a Paperwhite. It’s still internally tested though.
Calling a colored device a “Paperwhite” doesn’t make any sense.
I think ‘Paperwhite’ refers to the white background, which is supposed to emulate paper more than an LED screen does.
I do hope so! After all the main topics on this blog seem to be Kindle-related. And almost every video about non-Kindle e-readers I watch readers show the use of the kindle app. It’s as if the native reading apps on these devices are inferior. I’m quite happy with the native reading apps on my Meebook and Boox devices. Plus there’s Librera and Koreader for my tablets/phones. But then I don’t buy ebooks on Amazon.
So yes, I would rejoice if Amazon give up on the Kindle and websites would report on all the other devices in depth like they do about Kindle.
I do buy ebooks from Amazon (among other places), but I don’t use either a Kindle or a Kindle app. I read them on my Kobo readers.
I agree there are too many posts about Kindles, and as the current Kindle lineup is pretty lackluster, most of these posts are no longer all that interesting. Still, the author of the blog is in the US, as far as I know, and Kindles are the most popular ereaders by far in the US, so it’s to be expected.
Silly user name checks out.
I don’t like Amazon either, but the Kindle hardware is very good although the software is not, but still. It would be a shame if they give up on that. Also if Kobo won’t have any serious competitor that is not gonna be good for anyone.
You’re wrong to think other devices and apps would get more coverage if Kindles didn’t exist because all the other devices and apps combined aren’t popular enough to keep a niche website like this afloat. Covering the likes of Meebook and KOreader wouldn’t cover the cost of a pack of gum is the sad truth of the matter.
I don’t think their Android and Apple apps are more popular. It’s just that everyone has a smart phone from birth it seems and not many people are going to buy a device that can only do one thing.
The next big thing in e readers is color so unless Amazon is going to give up that slice of the pie I think they’re just working out the kinks on software or amassing product.
I just want Amazon to release another Oasis. I’ll not buy any Kindle or other e-reader that does not have physical page turn buttons. IMHO, the Kindle Oasis was the best ergonomically designed e-reader. Why they killed it is still a mystery to me.