Amazon pulls the plug on Kindle Voyage sales, reminding us e-readers are still a thing
Bookselling giant Barnes & Noble has pretty much given up on e-readers, leaving Amazon in charge of a market that’s been slowly shrinking for many years now, refusing however to disappear altogether.
The Kindle family is probably not as popular as back in the day, but clearly, there’s still some demand for rudimentary reading devices with stellar battery life, prompting the e-commerce company to release a premium new Oasis model just last year.
The second-generation Kindle Oasis replaced its 2016 predecessor, joining an entry-level $80 version that was also refreshed a couple of years ago, as well as a $120 and up third-gen Kindle Paperwhite from way back in 2015, and an even older $200 Voyage.
Four options seemed like a lot for such a nichey product category, so Amazon appears to have quietly streamlined its portfolio, discontinuing the almost four-year-old Kindle Voyage.
You can still purchase a certified refurbished unit starting at $129.99 in the US at the time of this writing, but unused Voyage devices are no longer available from Amazon’s American or European branches.
The company had little to say when contacted by TechCrunch for an official comment, describing the “customer response” to the Kindle Voyage as “incredibly positive” and confirming the mid-range e-book reader is indeed “sold out.”
A sequel feels unlikely, given the advanced age of the Voyage and its many similarities with the Kindle Oasis. But some sort of a transitional device between the $120 Paperwhite and $250 Oasis is certainly possible, although we obviously have no info on prospective branding, launch timing, or exact pricing.
The Kindle family is probably not as popular as back in the day, but clearly, there’s still some demand for rudimentary reading devices with stellar battery life, prompting the e-commerce company to release a premium new Oasis model just last year.
Four options seemed like a lot for such a nichey product category, so Amazon appears to have quietly streamlined its portfolio, discontinuing the almost four-year-old Kindle Voyage.
You can still purchase a certified refurbished unit starting at $129.99 in the US at the time of this writing, but unused Voyage devices are no longer available from Amazon’s American or European branches.
A sequel feels unlikely, given the advanced age of the Voyage and its many similarities with the Kindle Oasis. But some sort of a transitional device between the $120 Paperwhite and $250 Oasis is certainly possible, although we obviously have no info on prospective branding, launch timing, or exact pricing.
source: The eBook Reader via TechCrunch
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