Obsolescence?

[Dave2002]

I just read a report that Amazon has stopped supporting its early Kindle models on its Kindle store. I don't know whether this affects any ebooks already downloaded, but it's pretty poor if texts which were available a decade ago are no longer available on hardware which Amazon made/supplied.

I have books which date from the early 1900s - perhaps earlier, so is electronic technology really so great?

[cat]

Hardware doesn't last for ever, I have some VHS tapes which I keep meaning to chuck out, as I have the contents on my hard drive.

Kindle e-books that one has purchased can be viewed on most phones, computers and tablets, as well as any non-obsolete Kindle device. I'd be surprised if batteries in the very first Kindles still held charge anyway. And making all future Kindle books forever compatible with such old devices that hardly anyone uses will probably compromise innovation in formatting of new titles.

[oddoneout]

A wider problem, and one which has been known about for decades, is where original source material has been digitised and the equipment that was needed to access it is no longer available. I read a long time ago about somewhere in the USA(an academic institution I think) which found they had archives of data in a form that could no longer be read (such as platters or tapes) but the source material had been destroyed once it had been digitised or perhaps was transcribed straight to data storage.
The obsolescence of Kindle models is an issue for those who have them(and part of a wider debate about how long resource heavy items should remain functional/repairable) but doesn't affect the source material fortunately.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Hardware doesn't last for ever, I have some VHS tapes which I keep meaning to chuck out, as I have the contents on my hard drive.

Kindle e-books that one has purchased can be viewed on most phones, computers and tablets, as well as any non-obsolete Kindle device. I'd be surprised if batteries in the very first Kindles still held charge anyway. And making all future Kindle books forever compatible with such old devices that hardly anyone uses will probably compromise innovation in formatting of new titles.

My Ist gen kindle is still going strong . The batteries go ages between charges and last a lot longer than iPhone ones seem to,
Looks like you’ll still be able to read new Kindle ebooks but you’ll have to purchase them on another registered device then download via archived items.

[smittims]

'Is electronic technology so great?' Well, I've never thought so. I sensed this 'planned obsolescence' when VHS tapes and players became scarcer. And remember when Laptops all had a disc drive and Cd manufacturers included a CD-ROM in their box sets with the libretti? That seems to be history already.

I supppose it's 'their' revenge on us for making our own discs. They want us to watch what they want to make available on line, as long as they want to make it available.

One bright develolpment for me has been the revival of the gramophone. I can still play my early 1950s Lps, maybe longer than I'll be able to choose what to listen to on line.

[Bryn]

'Is electronic technology so great?' Well, I've never thought so. I sensed this 'planned obsolescence' when VHS tapes and players became scarcer. And remember when Laptops all had a disc drive and Cd manufacturers included a CD-ROM in their box sets with the libretti? That seems to be history already.

I supppose it's 'their' revenge on us for making our own discs. They want us to watch what they want to make available on line, as long as they want to make it available.

Except, the relatively tech-savvy will always find a way to capture such streams for storage and later offline listening.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Whenever you buy a new e-reader, you can upload the books for your account. I have a Kobo e-reader. My old device gave up the ghost recently, but switching my library to the new (and much better) e-reader was very easy.

[Bryn]

Who else here recalls the earlier days of CDs when they often included index points, in addition to track selection, and CD players had ways to access them?

[Petrushka]

Who else here recalls the earlier days of CDs when they often included index points, in addition to track selection, and CD players had ways to access them?

My CD player (Technics SL-PG5) has this facility but I've never had need or inclination to make use of it. Probably shows how long I've had the player but, as it's ultra reliable, I'm not looking to replace it just yet.

[Dave2002]

Who else here recalls the earlier days of CDs when they often included index points, in addition to track selection, and CD players had ways to access them?

The Decca recording I have/had of Daphnis and Chloe only had index points, IIRC. Not sure if I still have that one. Must check to see if it's still around - somethings got lost in various house moves.

[Dave2002]

Hardware doesn't last for ever, I have some VHS tapes which I keep meaning to chuck out, as I have the contents on my hard drive.

Kindle e-books that one has purchased can be viewed on most phones, computers and tablets, as well as any non-obsolete Kindle device. I'd be surprised if batteries in the very first Kindles still held charge anyway. And making all future Kindle books forever compatible with such old devices that hardly anyone uses will probably compromise innovation in formatting of new titles.

I'll have to check whether my original Kindle still holds charge. I think it does - but I can check again. There is such a thing as backward compatibility. Sure - I usuall read Kindle books on an iPad - but it's hopeless for reading in strong sunlight. The original Kindle was brilliant for that - as indeed are books.