With Amazon removing the ability to download Kindle ebooks from their website for USB transfer, it makes you wonder if they’re going to remove the option to download Kindle software updates for USB transfer as well.
Most people probably just let their Kindles update automatically while connected to WiFi, and since you don’t have a say in the matter it’ll happen eventually whether you want it to or not, unless you keep your Kindle in airplane mode all the time.
The option to manually update Kindles is strictly a USB transfer thing, just like sideloading downloaded ebooks from Amazon, and now that they took that feature away, does it makes sense to keep offering software updates for USB transfer?
Thinking about it, it’s kind of an odd thing that Amazon would even offer the option to download software updates and give customers the ability to manually install them over USB. Most other companies don’t do that.
Most companies just release software updates that automatically download and install on their own; they don’t put up a webpage with direct firmware downloads for each and every model and give directions on how to install the updates manually via USB like Amazon does with the Kindle Software Updates page.
That’s so not an Amazon thing to do, generally speaking, but somehow it still exists for Kindles. I could easily see Amazon removing the option to download and manually install Kindle updates via USB next. How many people really have to install updates manually these days?
Kindles are more dependant on WiFi now than ever (in fact, WiFi is pretty much required to use them now that Amazon took away the option to sideload purchased ebooks via USB), so why wouldn’t Amazon just start offering over-the-air updates moving forward and drop manual updates altogether?
I could see them keeping the links up for the older models, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Amazon phase out manual downloads for newer Kindles. In fact, they still haven’t put up a firmware download link for the Kindle Colorsoft so maybe it’s already started.
I always download and manually install the updates.