This is enough to give me cause for concern. Actually, if anything, it will increase the likelihood of me rooting my Nook Tablet. An e-reader without any books to read on it would surely be a waste. All told, I’m not sure what to make of B&N spinning off their Nook business.
On the one hand, it might result in a decision to free up the Nook so that people can modify as they so choose. Or perhaps they’ll concentrate on adding content to the reader by adding a music store similar to iTunes. Additionally, perhaps they’ll add an ESPN3 app or something.
On the other, if they just spin it off and keep things as is, it’s hard to see any additional value in that. In which case, it seems like they’re just hanging it out there where it will ultimately whither on the vine.
I’m really enjoying using my device, it would be a shame to find out I’d picked a pig-in-a-poke. Obviously, we’re not there yet. But it’s something to keep an eye on, that’s for sure.
4 replies on “Bad News for B&N”
YIKES ! ! Just when we became a ‘Nook’ family too ! !
From reading the article, I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you. The spin off sounds like a matter of gaining capital. No one wants to invest in a bookstore that is losing value, but if the Nook is it’s own company and can be traded as such, B&N can continue to get investors in order to improve it. The big downside to this is now you’re pulling the support leg out from the brick and mortar stores, because no one has any reason to invest it in at all.
Hopefully they can turn that around and not go the way of Borders.
I hope you’re right. But if the “book” portion of B&N disappears, what does that mean for the e-reader portion? A “reader” without content isn’t of much use to people.
Just seems like an odd thing to do- giving up your big bread winner.
I would be willing to bet that within a short period of time if B&N goes the way of Borders…the folks at Amazon and Google will have a simple and straightforward way to turn your tablet computer into one of their tablet computers. It is a great little piece of equipment, right now you are tethered to B&N (mostly), but that won’t always be the case.