Amazon Kindle
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2007 |
| Product Type | E-reader |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://amazon.com/kindle |
Amazon Kindle is a product line of e-readers made by Amazon.
Controversies
While EPUB has been the widely adopted format for digital books[1], the Kindle e-readers do not support this format natively. That means that it is not possible to load these files directly to the e-reader (which is called sideloading), but have to be converted first to one of the proprietary formats the Kindle uses. Books directly purchased through Amazon come with DRM restrictions.
Around 2022 it was announced that there would be an option to read these files[2], which was not through native support but via their e-mail service or dedicated app for the Kindle. Both send the file to the Kindle Cloud Library, and process the file on Amazon servers to the proprietary format.
As for the sideloading itself, newer firmware versions of Kindle e-readers only work with MTP[3], which led to controversy among power users as it disrupted existing workflow, which is to be expected. Book management software like Calibre[4] address this issue, and can do the conversion of file formats locally. The recent firmware updates have caused other issues, like faster battery drain than before and a slower user experience.[5]
Anti-repair and anti-ownership practices
Kindle devices regularly receive bad scores[6][7] in repair reviews due to excessive amounts of adhesive used and the devices being built to be discarded. Most of the components of the device, most importantly the E-Ink screen, are not available to the general market and any stock that can rarely be found of displays for the device usually approach the cost of the device itself, making repair uneconomical.
Kindle devices run a Linux distribution, however the bootloader is locked down and hackers have had trouble accessing debug ports on newer hardware. Amazon builds largely on proprietary software and drivers that mean even if the device was unlocked, porting a standard mainline Linux kernel to it is made difficult by inaccessibility of drivers for the integrated screen and touch IC.
References
- ↑ https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/
- ↑ https://mashable.com/article/amazon-kindle-epub
- ↑ https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2024/10/20/amazon-removed-download-and-transfer-option-for-new-kindles/
- ↑ https://calibre-ebook.com/
- ↑ https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/the-amazon-kindle-is-in-a-state-of-decline
- ↑ iFixit score is 3/10 for the Baseline model 11th gen: https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Kindle_11
- ↑ iFixit score is 2/10 for the Paperwhite model 11th gen: https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Kindle_Paperwhite_11th_Generation