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I do expect there to be a new Kindle this year and you should too. The tenth year anniversary will not go without note.

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Mike, what you regard as a problem, I regard as an advantage. By being limited to one key function – reading books – my Kindle Oasis is “distraction free.” I don’t go floating off into the internet, following links that start out as just a thought I have when reading. The Kindle’s internet capabilities are so klutzy that it’s more trouble than it’s worth to do anything but just read.

When I decided that I needed a larger screen for my reading, I bought a Samsung Tab 2 rather than an iPad mini. I didn’t do that merely because the Tab was cheaper – I did it because our household is all Mac’d up, and I knew that if I got a mini I would face the temptations I avoid on the Kindle. I figured that in getting the Tab, I would not be sucked into the internet by all the intertwined apps I have on my iPad/iMac. This has worked as planned. The only non-Kindle app on my Tab is Spotify. Not quite as sandboxed as the Kindle, but enough to keep me on task.

Of course, an 8 inch Kindle would be optimum for me, & deal with your “problem of two,” but the price point of the tablets means that the market doesn’t appear to exist to support such a device.

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That’s me and my Kindle 3. My iPhone 5 does so much more, I use it constantly. My Kindle often gets no attention except once a month when I recharge all my batteries. There’s nothing wrong with it other than that it is a one-trick pony.

I had a similar situation when I had a sailing boat and, to pull it about, an old pickup truck. I loved that little truck, but when I sold the boat, it had to go. Keeping two vehicles running, licensed and insured (as well as not towed away by the city of Seattle) was simply too much bother when I could drive only one at a time. Once that boat was gone, there was nothing that truck could do that my Toyota could not do.

I now consciously apply that problem of two or more to my buying. To layout books for publication, I must have my aging but still useful maxed-out 2012 Mac mini, the last good desktop Apple made. But for writing draft, my needs are so simple, I’ve not replaced my ancient white MacBook. My iPad 3 can run Scrivener and work just as well. That’s four devices—desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone—pared down to three. That’ll save considerable money, particularly when hardware updates are considered. Why buy what you do not need?

I’m even considering going a step further when my iPhone 5 must be replaced. If I replace it with a used iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, the screen might just be big enough, in conjunction with a folding keyboard, for my writing. Then there’d be not only no need for a tablet, using that iPhone as a tablet would give me on-the-go data, something I would have to pay extra for with an iPad.
—–
The one thing almost all devices do poorly is writing outdoors in bright sunlight. Those who’d like to do that might want to get one of the Alphasmart recording keyboards that sold for $200 and more to elementary schools to teach keyboarding. You can pick them up now for about $25 on ebay. They use a LCD screen that works fine in the brightest sun and sips so little power the last model, the Neo, can get 700 hours of use from three inexpensive AA batteries. And I would suggest getting the Neo model rather than the earlier ones. They cost little if any more and can hold up to about 200 pages in multiple documents. There are writers who simply adore their Neo. It is totally and utterly distraction free, and that’s a situation where limited functionality can be a plus. They are also great for placing in your lap and writing during a daily commute by mass transit. The device is the keyboard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaSmart#Neo

–Mike Perry, Inkling Books

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I try to avoid bright sunshine whenever possible, so the iPad is working for me day to day. However, I still have my Kindle Voyage for any outdoor or travel occasions.

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I got a Kindle HD8 a couple of years ago, but it is heavy compared to the Oasis & the Tab, and I rarely use it anymore. I really hate the OS.

I agree with Fred that a slightly larger screen would be desirable. A Kindle the size of the Tab 2/iPad mini would be very nice. But I suspect that if that were going to happen, it would be out there by now.

If it begins to look like the e-ink Kindles are going to be phased out, I’ll probably buy a couple to keep in reserve…

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I would have preferred a larger eink screen for the Kindle, but somethings are never going to happen. Now that I’ve sunk my money into the iPad, I being using it for the next few years.

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Who knows? Maybe being waterproof is one of those cosmetic changes I mention. Certainly it’s the only major one Amazon hasn’t done yet.

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