Amazon to end support for older Kindles, prompting user outcry

Amazon to end support for older Kindles, prompting user outcry24 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLiv McMahonTechnology reporterAFP via Getty ImagesAmazon founder Jeff Bezos launched the Kindle Touch in 2011Amazon has told owners it will soon stop supporting older Kindle models - a move which has left some users outraged.In emails from the tech giant, affected users were thanked for being a "longtime Kindle customer" but told devices released during or before 2012 would no longer receive updates from 20 May.The move will mean owners of older Kindles, including its earliest models such as the Kindle Touch and some Kindle Fire tablets, will be unable to download new e-books.Amazon said it has supported affected models for years and their active users have been offered discounts to help "transition to newer devices", but some have criticised it for making up to two million devices "obsolete"."I have a Kindle Touch that I've had since 2013, it works great, I bought a book on it a few months ago, and suddenly it's obsolete," one X user wrote in a post tagging Amazon.Another frustrated user described the Kindle as "probably one of the most low-tech devices ever made" and queried why Amazon was discontinuing its support for it."A Kindle is a text device! There is no need for updates."Devices affectedIn a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said: "Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store. "These models have been supported for at least 14 years—some as long as 18 years—but technology has come a long way in that time, and these devices will no longer be supported moving forward."It says the affected Kindle models are:Kindle: Kindle 1st Generation (2007), Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009 and 2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 (2011),...