In a major development, Amazon has decided to immediately halt the supply of Kindle e-readers to retailers in China and permanently shut down the country's Kindle ebook shop.
As of today, June 30, digital Kindle books are no longer available for purchase in China, and Amazon plans to remove its Kindle app from Chinese app stores by June 30, 2024.
This sudden move has left users in China shocked, and has sparked discussions about the future of the e-book market in the region.
Kindle China anouncement made on June 2, 2022. Snapshot by That's
The announcement of the closure was made on Amazon's official Weibo account on June 2; since then, the company's account has remained silent, leaving users speculating about the reasons behind the move.
Existing customers, however, have been assured that they will still be able to download and access titles they purchased in the past until June 2024. After this date, books will continue to work but without the convenience of cloud backup.
The shift in strategy by the tech giant has raised concerns about the future of the e-book market in China.
Many are now questioning how consumers' interests will be safeguarded after purchasing digital books.
With Amazon's exit, other players in the industry will likely fill the void, but the challenge lies in ensuring that consumers' investments in digital content remain secure and accessible.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the competition will reshape the landscape of digital reading in China.
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[Cover image via Unsplash]
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