I used a jailbroken kindle fire running lineage for years. I dropped that thing, got it wet, got it hot. It was impossible to kill. It finally had 1 drop to many but it was one of the best devices I ever had in terms of utility / $

Indeed. I had an original Kindle fire (back when it was still "Android") and I loved it great device for the money. It saddens me greatly how they've locked everything down. They could be the premier builders but instead I know then as grotesque authoritarians.

I find it exceedingly likely that they lose money on every kindle fire sold (at least during one of their regular sales), unless it causes more content sales. So the solution is of course to make it as useless as possible for anything else, otherwise they would just lose more. Same as inkjet printers.

I've had the same thought, though if true I wish they'd sell an unlocked version for more money, similar to how they did the ads on lock screen

Still have two Fire tablets (HD). Works for streaming and reading but surfing can be a drag