Amazon is discontinuing Kindle for PC on June 30th

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Amazon’s decision to discontinue the Kindle for PC app and phase out support for Kindle devices from 2012 and earlier is widely seen as part of a broader push to tighten its DRM and close remaining loopholes for extracting purchased ebooks. Commenters argue this undermines users’ sense of ownership over their digital libraries, prompting many to switch to alternatives such as Kobo or open e‑ink devices paired with Calibre and other self-hosted tools. While some accept DRM as the tradeoff for convenience and cloud access, others say these moves guarantee they will no longer buy Kindle hardware or ebooks.

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.