Amazon members frustrated with a key product update

According to The Street, One of the greatest conveniences of living in the 21st century is the ability to access millions of products with just the tap of a button. Whether it’s the swipe of a hand, the scan of a palm, or the tap of a credit card, shopping has become simpler and faster than ever before.

The shift in consumer shopping habits has been driven by retail giants like Amazon (AMZN), who have made it possible to order necessities and have them delivered the very next day—sometimes even sooner. However, this shift was also driven by necessity.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Shopping Habits

In the early 2020s, the Covid-19 pandemic spurred many consumers who preferred in-person shopping to transition to online platforms. Everything from groceries to pet supplies became accessible online. With the rise of social distancing and many non-essential retailers closing for months, consumers had to rethink how they made their purchases.

Now, almost three-quarters of consumers claim to prefer shopping online over in-person, a stark contrast to the norm a decade ago.

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Amazon’s Role in Driving Online Convenience

Amazon has been instrumental in making online shopping more convenient. After getting most of us accustomed to next-day shipping, the company introduced several perks to enhance the shopping experience.

One such innovation is Alexa, Amazon’s voice-enabled assistant, which is now in millions of homes with an estimated 500 million devices sold. In 2023, household use of Alexa rose by 35%, according to Amazon SVP Rohit Prasad.

Other Amazon products, such as Fire TV for streaming and Ring doorbells for home security, have also made life easier for millions of users. However, one of Amazon’s most enduringly popular devices remains the Kindle e-reader.

The Kindle: A Revolutionary E-Reader

Since its introduction in 2007, the Kindle has revolutionized reading by making books easily accessible on the go. Its anti-glare screen, user-friendly design, and ability to store thousands of titles in a lightweight device were groundbreaking. To date, Amazon has sold an estimated 500 million Kindles, giving it a 70% market share of the e-reader market.

Kindle Users Express Frustration Over Updates

Despite its popularity, many Kindle users have recently voiced frustration over unnecessary software updates. Some customers believe Amazon has “tinkered too much” with the device, diminishing its once-great features.

According to Michael Kozlowski of Good E-Reader, “Quality and control of Kindle firmware development are at an all-time low.” Kozlowski notes that many top executives responsible for Kindle’s software and hardware have either left Amazon or been laid off. He attributes these changes to the fact that devices like Alexa, Kindle, and Fire tablets were losing Amazon $5 billion per year without any clear path to profitability.

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Frustrations with the Latest Firmware Update

Amazon’s most recent 5.16.10.0.1 firmware update in mid-2023 has not been well received. Some of the reported issues include:

• Changes to the reading progress font
• Slower updates to reading progress
• Impact on margin sizing and page formatting
• Displaying time in military format with no option to change it
• Faster battery drain

Users on Reddit and other forums have voiced concerns, with some suggesting they may switch to competing e-readers like Kobo, which is owned by Rakuten.

One Reddit user noted, “Battery life gone to heck as well (this is on my Scribe).” Another user asked, “Has the ‘Time left in chapter’ info disappeared with this update? It’s greyed out and says ‘not available’ when I try to enable it.” Another frustrated user responded, “Yes! It is terrible!”

The Kindle forums and tech websites are filled with negative reviews of the update, with some users even discussing ways to convert their Amazon e-book files to other formats to move away from the platform.

Amazon’s Response

As of now, Amazon has not directly addressed user complaints. On the firmware update page, the company only offers a general description of the update and instructions on how to provide feedback. “Your Kindle is regularly updated with improvements to the reading experience,” the page reads. “Have feedback? Please share it with the Kindle team by going to Contact Us under Settings and then Help & User Guides.”