[mommacomet]

I have the original paperwhite and I love it.  I do a lot of reading at night or in low light situations.  I have been thinking about upgrading to the new paperwhite and was wondering who had upgraded from the original to the newer one and if it was worth it.   

 

[Ann in Arlington]

I had the 2012 model and got the 2013 model when it came out. At THAT Time, it was a significant improvement as there were features on the newer version that were NOT on the first version.

I think that's not so much the case any more, however. Many of the 'improvements' to the '13 model have also become available on the '12 model. The main difference is in the hardware: I think it's a skosh lighter and the lighting system is noticeably more even. Some also feel the text is a bit crisper. But, by and large, at this point, if you're happy with what you have, there's no need to get the new one, I'd say.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Although, some people with the orignal PW who have received the software update to that model have been less than satisfied (we have a thread here about it).  If you've received the software update, and your device performs satisfactorily, as Ann says, there's no need to get the new one.

You can check the software version by tapping on the menu button in the upper right corner on the home page (stacked bars) , then Settings then Menu again then Device Info.

The latest firmware on the PW1 is 5.4.4.1.

Betsy

 

[Mandy]

I only have the original PW, so I can't compare it to the new one, but I can say that the new features weren't significant enough to sway me towards buying the new model. I have no complaints with my original PW, so I'd rather save my money and wait until a significantly improved model is released.

 

[hamerfan]

I only have the original PW, so I can't compare it to the new one, but I can say that the new features weren't significant enough to sway me towards buying the new model. I have no complaints with my original PW, so I'd rather save my money and wait until a significantly improved model is released.

Exactly what she said! Thanks for putting it so well, Mandy.

 

[GBear]

Some people had issues with their 2012 Paperwhites; many of those people bought 2013 models and felt that the issues (mainly with the screen) were resolved with the new hardware. However, if you already love your 2012 model then I don't think you're likely to love the 2013 version that much more. I would suggest waiting to see if the next version, whenever it arrives, blows your socks off.

I have owned every other generation of the Kindle since the first one, managing to hold off on the smaller upgrades, and have been overjoyed with my major advances every couple of years. (Actually, I suppose I probably skipped two generations in upgrading from Kindle Keyboard to PW 2013.)

However, I'm surprised that none of the well-known enablers above has touted the benefits of having a backup Kindle! 

 

[Ann in Arlington]

However, I'm surprised that none of the well-known enablers above has touted the benefits of having a backup Kindle!

Well . . . yes . . . that is an important consideration!

 

[mommacomet]

I have had no issues with my 2012 PW  (Knock on wood) LOL  I absolutely love it.  The firmware on mine shows Kindle 5.3.9  I read A LOT so wasn't sure whether the new one was enough to upgrade.    Thanks for all the input.

 

[MrKnucklehead]

Although, some people with the orignal PW who have received the software update to that model have been less than satisfied (we have a thread here about it). If you've received the software update, and your device performs satisfactorily, as Ann says, there's no need to get the new one.

You can check the software version by tapping on the menu button in the upper right corner on the home page (stacked bars) , then Settings then Menu again then Device Info.

The latest firmware on the PW1 is 5.4.4.1.

Betsy

Betsy, I followed your link and my Paperwhite (1st Gen) only has firmware of 5.3.9...

how do I go about moving up to 5.4.4.1

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

You can find the update here (description of update features at end of this post):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_left_cn?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201064850

However, you may wish to read through at least some of this thread:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,180546.0.html
talking about the experience some members have had with the update. It's not universally loved, by any means. It appears that, if you have a lot of books that are in multiple collections, you may get a performance hit--slowness and battery life. Still not sure if that's universal.

Be sure that you want to update, because you can NOT remove it once installed. Resetting to factory defaults does NOT remove the firmware update.

I'll also note that I think the Goodreads integration listed below is very limited and kind of lame; the integration between the Goodreads site itself and Amazon that's being rolled out now (another thread) is better.

Betsy

The update page, linked to above, describes the update:

The software update includes general improvements and the following new features:

Kindle FreeTime
FreeTime lets you create personalized profiles for kids, and give them access to titles from your collection of books. Kids can keep track of their personal reading progress and earn achievement badges. To learn more, go to Kindle FreeTime

Goodreads on Kindle
Connect with the world's largest community for readers from your Kindle Paperwhite. See what your friends are reading, share notes, and rate the books you read. To learn more, go to Find and Share Books with Goodreads on Kindle.

Cloud Collections
Use Cloud Collections to organize your content in custom categories. See your collections in a Collections view, and customize where your collections show on your device. To learn more, go to Organize Your Content with Cloud Collections.

Page Flip
While reading, you can skim the book page-by-page, scan by chapter, or skip to the end for a sneak peek without losing your place. To learn more, go to Go To Other Locations in a Book

Enhanced Bookmarks, Highlights & Notes
Access and manage all of your bookmarks, highlights, and notes more quickly and easily. To learn more, go to Bookmarks, Highlights & Notes

Smart Lookup
When you look up a word or character, Smart Lookup provides you with dictionary, X-Ray, and Wikipedia information. To learn more, go to Explore Your Book with X-Ray.

Vocabulary Builder
Words looked up in the dictionary are automatically added to Vocabulary Builder. View the definition and usage of the words, and quiz yourself with flashcards. To learn more, go to Expand Your Vocabulary.

Inline Footnotes
Read the complete text of each footnote inline without changing the page or losing your place in the book. To learn more, go to Go To Other Locations in a Book.

 

[Eltanin Publishing]

I had some color splotchiness on my PW1 so I was happy to upgrade to a PW2. But as others have said, if you're happy with your PW1, I'd just stick with that.

 

[Scarlet-Fire]

I upgraded from the '12 to '13 as soon as it became available from one reason, the more even lighting across the bottom of the screen. The uneven "stage lighting" effect at the bottom of my '12 always bothered me and I am happy to say the '13 has almost completely eliminated it. Well worth the upgrade cost for me. As for the rest of the features, I don't really take advantage of any of them and the '12 has them now anyway. I'd say if you are happy with the '12 screen there isn't much of an advantage to the '13. It appears there will be bigger changes coming next fall when the next gen. PW is introduced. I would wait until then to think about upgrading.