AMAZON customers have reacted with fury after bosses announced a dozen of the firm’s popular gadgets will stop working almost entirely very soon.
The tech giant is discontinuing support for a number of Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets from next month.
Affected devices will no longer be able to download any new titles after the cut off date, leaving them only with content already installed.
Users have also been warned that factory resetting their e-reader or tablet will leave them completely unusable, as well as de-registering it.
People’s accounts and their Kindle library will still be accessible on the mobile and desktop app.
The debut Kindle released in 2007 and the first Kindle Paperwhite from 2012 are among the models impacted.
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Here’s the full list of devices:
- Kindle 1st Generation (2007)
- Kindle DX (2009)
- Kindle DX Graphite (2010)
- Kindle Keyboard (2010)
- Kindle 4 (2011)
- Kindle Touch (2011)
- Kindle 5 (2012)
- Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation (2012)
- Kindle Fire 1st Generation (2011)
- Kindle Fire 2nd Generation (2012)
- Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012)
- Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012)
The move is set to come into effect from May 20, a rep for Amazon said.
“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,” they warned.
“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’s thought the discontinuation will affect about three per cent of current Kindle or Fire users.
The firm warned customers in an email, offering a 20 per cent off promo code for selected Kindle device upgrades.
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“I am furious that they think I should drop $159 to replace a perfectly good paperwhite,” one furious customers reacted on Reddit.
“The email says you won’t be able to download any new books after May 20.”
Another wrote: “They think they’re being generous by offering a whole 20% to replace my Kindle Fire. No thank you, off to Kobo I go.”