Your old Kindle tablet may have lost update support - but it can still be highly useful (for free)

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

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If your Kindle is from 2012 or earlier, access to the Kindle Store and software updates has ended.

These Kindle users will still have access to the books already on their devices.

Kindle ereaders and Fire tablets from 2012 or older can't buy, borrow, or download new content.

Amazon recently ended software support for eight Kindle and Fire tablet models from before 2013. As a result, Kindle owners with these older devices no longer have access to the Kindle Store to buy new books or download software updates. Still, they will retain access to their existing Kindle Library, including purchased books.

Also: This e-reader lets you view in color, and it's $60 cheaper now

Truly, Amazon offers Kindle devices a generous support period, especially when compared to other tablets. A Kindle gets anywhere between 10 and 15 years of software support before Amazon makes major cutoffs, while most tablets and smartphones from other manufacturers on the market get between 3 and 7 years.

This, and the fact that Kindles are single-purpose devices, has earned Amazon a loyal user base.

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