Not buying another Kindle

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Kindle deprecation and its consequences

  • Amazon is cutting off pre‑2013 Kindles from the Kindle Store and new registrations; a factory reset after the cutoff can make them unusable beyond a “paperweight” reader for already‑downloaded books.
  • Some posters say this is effectively bricking good hardware and will push many devices into landfill; others note the devices were supported ~13+ years and see that as reasonable.
  • There is confusion over what still works: all agree store downloads will stop, but claims conflict on whether USB transfer requires being logged in and whether that will also be blocked.

Workarounds: sideloading and jailbreaking

  • Many users already keep Kindles in airplane mode and sideload via USB, often through Calibre; they report little impact from Amazon’s changes.
  • Jailbreaking older Kindles to install KOReader or other software is reported as relatively straightforward and can extend functionality (e.g., Tailscale, custom readers).
  • Some stress that jailbreaking is now effectively required to keep using older devices fully.

DRM, ownership, and trust

  • Strong criticism of DRM and cloud dependence: people feel this demonstrates they never truly “owned” Kindle books and that services can revoke or strand purchases.
  • Others counter that most major ecosystems (including Kobo) have similar DRM constraints driven by publishers.
  • Several recommend de‑DRM tools and maintaining a personal, DRM‑free EPUB library (often managed in Calibre), sometimes sourced from shadow libraries.

Alternative devices and ecosystems

  • Kobo is the most cited alternative: native EPUB support, easy USB sideloading, long firmware support history, and OverDrive integration. Some report rock‑solid behavior; others complain about random page turns, sync issues, and OverDrive glitches.
  • Android‑based e‑ink (Boox, PocketBook, xteink, reMarkable) is praised for flexibility (Libby, Kindle app, general Android apps) but criticized for weaker battery life, phoning home, or GPL compliance issues.
  • PocketBook and Kobo can be used entirely offline as mass‑storage devices, which some value highly.

Reading experience, UX, and formats

  • Many like Kindle hardware (especially Oasis, page‑turn buttons, battery life, and text rendering) but dislike the ad‑heavy home screen, slow UI, weak library management, and Amazon’s proprietary formats.
  • Several argue Kindle typography and format handling are outdated versus what modern EPUB renderers could do.
  • Some abandon e‑readers for phones/tablets or return to physical books, citing DRM fatigue, UX problems, or repeated obsolescence.