Amazon will stop supporting older Kindle devices from 20 May, affecting up to 2 million e-readers released before 2013. The move means users of models such as the Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, and first-generation Kindle Paperwhite will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new titles from the Kindle store.
Affected devices include the Kindle 1st generation (2007), Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009–2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 and Touch (2011), Kindle 5 and Paperwhite 1st generation (2012), as well as several early Kindle Fire tablets. Users can still read previously downloaded content, and their Kindle library remains accessible via mobile and desktop apps. Amazon has offered discounts to encourage affected customers to upgrade.
Critics have accused Amazon of generating unnecessary e-waste. The Restart Project's Ugo Vallauri said the decision could render an estimated 2 million devices obsolete, potentially creating over 624 tonnes of electronic waste. He argued that promising better performance with newer models is 'hardly a good reason for soft-bricking millions of still-functioning devices'.
Tech analyst Paolo Pescatore described the decision as understandable from a security perspective, noting that older hardware cannot support modern, data-intensive services. Amazon stressed that the affected devices have been supported for at least 14 years, with some models up to 18 years old.
Amazon warned that performing a factory reset on affected Kindles would render them unusable. Users have expressed frustration online, with some describing their devices as being reduced to 'paperweights'.
