Amazon is discontinuing Kindle for PC on June 30th

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Kindle for PC and New Windows App

  • Existing Kindle for PC is being discontinued; Amazon is reportedly working on a replacement limited to Windows 11.
  • Some hope the new app will finally support Kindle Scribe notebooks and offer better stylus/touch support than past Windows apps.
  • Others say the current PC app is so poor “it won’t be missed,” and attribute low usage to its bad UX.

Deprecation of Older Kindle Devices

  • Amazon notified users that Kindles from 2012 or earlier will lose store access and the ability to download/borrow new books after May 20, 2026.
  • Already-downloaded books will keep working; factory reset or deregistration will permanently disable device use.
  • Some are outraged because their old devices still work well (often with replaced batteries). Others argue 14-year support is reasonable.

Motivations: DRM vs. Technical/Business Reasons

  • Many commenters see both the PC app shutdown and device deprecation as part of a broader effort to close remaining DRM loopholes, especially AWZ4-era formats and Kindle for PC’s easy DeDRM.
  • A minority argue it’s mostly about aging hardware, poor app quality, and limited real-world impact given free Kindle apps and web reader.

Piracy, DRM Circumvention, and OCR

  • Several users report “liberating” their Kindle libraries before restrictions tightened, then abandoning Amazon for other stores or shadow libraries.
  • Discussion of newer KFX DRM being harder but still breakable, via emulators, license extraction, or web-based exploits.
  • Debate over OCR quality: some claim modern tools can reproduce books nearly perfectly; others say OCR’d ebooks are error‑prone and lose formatting.

Alternatives and Jailbreaking

  • Strong interest in Kobo, Android-based e‑ink devices, and other brands; many highlight easier DRM removal and better integration with Calibre and KOReader.
  • Old Kindles are often kept permanently in airplane mode and/or jailbroken to block updates, preserve local loading over USB, or run alternative software.
  • Some users are comfortable with DRM and accept Kindle’s lock‑in for convenience and ubiquity; others now refuse to buy any ebook they can’t fully own and back up.

Self-Hosted Libraries and Ecosystem Shift

  • Multiple people describe moving to self-hosted solutions (Calibre Web, NAS-based tools, forks like Grimmory) as their primary “future of books.”
  • There is concern that publisher and platform power (including Kindle Unlimited exclusivity) is squeezing both authors and alternative ecosystems.