Amazon to End Support for Older Kindle and Fire Models May 20

Amazon will end technical support for a range of its oldest Kindle and Kindle Fire devices on May 20, a move that will prevent those models from accessing the Kindle Store to purchase, borrow, or download new content. The decision affects devices released in 2012 and earlier, effectively turning them into read-only devices for content already downloaded.

The list of impacted models includes the Kindle 1st and 2nd generations, Kindle DX, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4, Kindle 5, Kindle Touch, Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation, and several early Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets. Amazon stated these models have been supported for between 14 and 18 years and that advancing technology necessitates ending support. The company is notifying affected customers and offering a 20 percent discount on selected new Kindle models plus a credit for eBooks.

In response, a significant number of users are reportedly turning to jailbreaking to extend the functionality of their older devices. Jailbreaking involves bypassing Amazon's software restrictions to install third-party applications, custom fonts, alternative reading software, and new screensavers. A primary motivation cited by users is a...