This Wednesday, Amazon sent a notification email to customers who bought (and are still using) early Kindle e-readers. First- and 2nd-generation Kindle and Kindle DX devices had no Wi-Fi support, relying solely on free 3G connectivity to reach Amazon—which is a real problem for those devices, since US mobile network operators will begin reclaiming 2G and 3G frequency bands for use with 4G and 5G this year.

Owners of 1st- and 2nd-generation Kindles should still be able to use the "Manage Your Content and Devices" page on Amazon to transfer books to Internet-orphaned Kindles via USB cable, but that's hardly convenient compared to the devices' original promise of freedom from wires and Wi-Fi passwords alike.

First-gen Kindle owners can get a free 10th-gen Kindle Oasis and cover, and 2nd-gen Kindle and Kindle DX owners are eligible for $70 off a new Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Oasis, plus $25 in e-book credits—but you'll need to use a promo code from the email Amazon sent in order to qualify. Without the promo code, Amazon only offers 1st-generation Kindle owners a $5.00 Amazon gift card.

Although only 1st- and 2nd-generation Kindles lose all connectivity when 3G sunsets, devices up to and including 8th-generation Kindle Oasis (released in May 2016) will be restricted to Wi-Fi connectivity only. Kindle Keyboard (3rd-gen) users get the same offer that Kindle DX users do, while 3G devices from the 4th through 8th generation are eligible for $50 off a Paperwhite or Oasis, plus $15 in e-book credits.

Kindles aren't the only devices the transition from 3G will orphan, of course—hundreds of thousands of security alarms are also going to need replacement, as will elevator phones and fire alarms. The important lesson to be learned is that investments in modern electronics have fairly near-term expiration dates—and that any budget-straining electronics purchase should be thought of in terms of years of likely service, not just the initial purchase price.

Update: an Amazon representative wrote in to clarify that the early-generation Kindle replacement offers outlined above are only available to users in the USA who actively used those devices between January 1 and June 30th of this year.