12-12-2009, 10:42 PM | #1 |
Connoisseur
Posts: 51
Karma: 11554
Join Date: Sep 2007
Device: iPad 2, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD
|
Amazon No Longer Selling US Only Kindle
Logged onto Amazon today and saw this. Sorry if this was reported already:
A Newer Kindle is Now Available Due to strong customer demand for the newest Kindle, we are consolidating our family of 6" Kindles. The new Kindle has 3G wireless that works in the United States and also globally in over 100 countries. We will continue to fully support Whispernet for all U.S.-only Kindles. You can buy used and refurbished versions of the U.S.-only Kindle on this page. I know they say they will continue to support. Let's see if the firmware updates will continue. |
12-12-2009, 11:11 PM | #2 |
Addict
Posts: 214
Karma: 2600
Join Date: Oct 2009
Device: Nook Color, White 3G K3
|
...been that way for about two months...(maybe longer)
|
Advert | |
|
12-12-2009, 11:14 PM | #3 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,302
Karma: 2607151
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Toronto
Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo
|
The only difference between the US and Global edition was that early US Kindles used Sprint's CDMA network and the later model used AT&T's 3G HSPA network. Since CDMA is really only still popular in the US -- it's even being phased out in Canada -- this is good business. For Kindle users, the network is completely transparent -- so no impact at all.
|
12-12-2009, 11:28 PM | #4 |
Connoisseur
Posts: 62
Karma: 1420
Join Date: Dec 2008
Device: Kindle Keyboard 3g, Kindle Paperwhite v1
|
Whew, had me worried I ordered a few on the 9th and thought I might have gotten the US only versions...but they shipped the global flavor so it is all good. Makes sense to only support one flavor, though they have all the legacy devices to deal with.
|
12-13-2009, 12:07 AM | #5 |
Banned
Posts: 43
Karma: 320
Join Date: Oct 2009
Device: none yet
|
duh ........................
|
Advert | |
|
12-13-2009, 02:49 AM | #6 |
Enthusiast
Posts: 34
Karma: 10
Join Date: Feb 2009
Device: PRS-505, Libre2
|
I would not worry about legacy devices issue. CDMA works now and future updates really would not be affecting that unless they are tweaking it for battery issues which I guess the non-global Kindle 2's might then miss out on.
|
12-13-2009, 03:20 AM | #7 | |
eBook Enthusiast
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
|
Quote:
But I suspect that any such actions will be several years down the road. |
|
12-13-2009, 05:39 AM | #8 | |
Ebook Reader
Posts: 605
Karma: 3205128
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Texas
Device: Kindle 3, HTC Evo, HTC View
|
Quote:
|
|
12-13-2009, 05:46 AM | #9 |
eBook Enthusiast
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
|
You really think that Amazon will carry on their Sprint contract, even when there's only a handful of CDMA Kindles left in, say, 10 years time? Sorry, but I can't see that happening, personally. There will come a point at which it will uneconomic to maintain the service.
|
12-13-2009, 10:20 AM | #10 | |
Ebook Reader
Posts: 605
Karma: 3205128
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Texas
Device: Kindle 3, HTC Evo, HTC View
|
Quote:
10 years is a lifetime in world of electronic devices though, it may just be that no one will even want to use a Kindle 1 then, and if they do, they can just hook up the old usb like everyone else does. It's a given that the ereader market is going to evolve and go thru some drastic changes in the next few years, but I think you are being premature in writing off these devices now. They are actually very useful, and will probably remain so as long as they can pump the electrons, so to speak. |
|
12-13-2009, 10:32 AM | #11 |
eBook Enthusiast
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
|
I'm certainly not writing them off, now! If you look at my earlier post, you'll see that I said that any change likely to affect them would be years away. Thank you for the information about the "size" of the CDMA networks; I had been under the (obviously mistaken) impression that GSM (and later generations of it) technology was dominating the US market now, as it is elsewhere.
|
12-13-2009, 12:21 PM | #12 | |
Enthusiast
Posts: 34
Karma: 10
Join Date: Feb 2009
Device: PRS-505, Libre2
|
Quote:
|
|
12-18-2009, 08:01 AM | #13 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,302
Karma: 2607151
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Toronto
Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo
|
CDMA technology is "on its way out" for sure ... but it won't disappear in the US during the "useful life" of US Kindles. There are hundreds of millions of CDMA handsets in use and they continue to be made and marketed. Yes, there is a shift away; but it will be gradual and hasn't really begun yet in earnest. Since Amazon has already discontinued CDMA Kindles, anyone who owns one -- even brand new -- has no need to worry about getting full value within the US.
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Target no longer selling sony ereader? | tvuongpham | Sony Reader | 11 | 10-13-2010 04:05 PM |
Fictionwise no longer selling certain books? | Crusader | General Discussions | 34 | 04-07-2010 10:19 PM |
Amazon selling epub ebooks??? | Frogmarch1987 | News | 5 | 11-07-2009 07:18 PM |
Kindle DX no longer on Amazon Homepage | Daithi | Amazon Kindle | 9 | 05-30-2009 03:43 PM |
Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader Locked Up: Why Your Books Are No Longer Yours | AdamGott | News | 217 | 03-30-2008 09:36 AM |