When searching for a brand new e-reader or digital note-taking device, does the frequency of firmware updates it receives matter? Take the Kindle, for example; between 2021 and 2022, they received many firmware updates, introducing a brand-new home screen and user interface. When the Kindle Scribe came out, this device exclusively received three new updates, while the other Kindles received none. Kobo’s last firmware update was in December 2022, and the only model to receive updates in 2023 was the Elipsa 2e. Barnes and Noble Nooks tend to receive a few a year. Pocketbook, Onyx Boox, Meebook, Supernote, Bigme, iReader, iFlytek and other brands issue firmware updates only a few times a day, and they tend to focus on newer models only. Onyx is one of the outliers; they tend to issue further updates for their latest generation devices and then push it out to the previous gen.
The frequency of firmware updates for e-readers and e-notes has decreased across the industry for the past few years. This is by design, Amazon for example only issues updates for five years when a product first goes on sale, so older e-readers will never receive updates anymore. Onyx announced a similar initiative, where they only support products for four years worth of updates, then they are considered EOL (end of life). Kobo is unique; when they publish updates for their e-readers, they issue them on virtually every product they ever released. Barnes and Noble only focus on their latest models and one generation back. Meebook, iReader, and iFlytek might only release one update yearly; only their latest-generation devices receive it.
Sometimes an entire product lineup receives updates when some extenuating circumstance occurs. iReader and Hanvon announced that almost their full lineup would receive English firmware, so they could sell their e-readers and e-notes outside of domestic China and issued an update on everything they sell to secure more dealers to sell it. Sometimes a new TLS or SSL certificate needs updating for users to continue to access the bookstore, and almost everything is updated for users to continue to buy digital content, such as audiobooks, books, comics, magazines or manga.
Do firmware updates or the frequency of said updates matter for e-readers? They are singular-purpose products geared towards reading. They do not require monthly or minor updates like flagship smartphones or tablets. Laptops or computers running Windows or Mac receive updates a few times a month or can enroll in beta updates to receive them even more frequently. Phone updates commonly occur when security vulnerabilities are found, or bug fixes are addressed. I have an iPhone and receive a new update every other month, with new features, enhancements and any bugs found in a previous update. When iPhones, iPad or Macs receive updates, it is always major news and is reported on every primary tech blog, newspaper, and television program. When was the last time the media was ever written on a Kindle? It is hard to get excited about virtually every patch note that says “general updates and bug fixes.”
I do not think the average person who wants to buy a new e-reader, to replace an old one or to buy one for the first time, does any kind of research to find out how often firmware updates are issued and what they can expect. I just need to buy a new Kindle or Kobo, and I am sure it works fine. E-Readers are a mature market, the number of updates it receives does not matter or does it?
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
