Amazon is giving up on Kindle devices with physical buttons and will stop selling the Kindle Oasis.
After unveiling an entire new lot of Kindle models, including the first-ever Kindle with a color display, earlier this week, Amazon has discontinued its previous flagship e-reader. The e-commerce giant is reportedly done with Kindle Oasis and will not replenish stock once it’s fully exhausted.
Notably, the Kindle Oasis will be the last Kindle with physical buttons as the company moves on with a “touch-forward” approach, spokesperson Devon Corvasce told The Verge. The Kindle Oasis came with two slender pill-shaped buttons to move pages forward or back.
Amazon’s spokesperson claimed customers are “comfortable with” using Kindle devices without buttons. The statement also points to the fact that Amazon is now dropping the volume buttons on the Kindle Paperwhite. The power button next to the USB port at the bottom is still present.
Amazon is perhaps right to chuck buttons off the Kindle. Physical buttons make devices thicker, may add manufacturing costs and design complications, and limit users to certain physical orientations in which the device can be held. Buttons are generally not desired by Kindle users, especially as phones acclimatize users to swiping more, so tapping or swiping on the Kindle’s screen feels more natural to users.
However, for a small set of users buttons could be useful. Buttons allow you to hold a Kindle with just one hand without necessarily engaging the other when you need to turn the page. Personal preferences aside, the physical button can be handy for seniors who struggle with touchscreens or people with physical disabilities who can’t swipe on the screen.
As some respite, Kindle e-readers do come with an accessibility feature called VoiceView for text-to-speech function. Although it’s meant for those with visual impairments, VoiceView also automatically turns pages while reading ebooks for you.
Though Amazon appears confident about the move, those who still prefer their e-readers with buttons can either use third-party remote controls for as little as $25 on Amazon or get a Kindle alternative such as the Boox Page, which runs on Android and supports the Kindle app.