It looks like Amazon continues to draw the line in the sand when it comes to (not) providing software updates for older Kindle hardware. While third generation Kindles have just been treated to true page numbers and improved periodical layouts, v2 owners are stuck at software that predates the Kindle 3 experience. And first gen Kindle owners? Forget about it (forever on software version 1.2).
Of course, this behavior is pretty typical in consumer electronics. However, it doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense when you’re not making money on razors, but hoping to move a whole lot of razor blades. As “Forsythe Dunnigan” comments on the Amazon Kindle blog:
I have a Kindle 2, and I get no page numbers. I have the Kindle App on my iPad, and I do get page numbers. Why would I ever buy another Kindle device? Since I’m going to be using my iPad, you do realize my first choice will always be iBooks, right?
Owners of older Kindle hardware can obviously continue purchasing and reading books, so it’s not like our devices have been disabled. But I find it a bit odd that Amazon has so quickly cut development on older units for features that presumably don’t require newer components.