Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#1

Post by 9nimo4 » Thu, May 09, 2013, 1:10 AM UTC

Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion
techcrunch.com

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#2

Post by methodin » Thu, May 09, 2013, 1:46 AM UTC

What does the future hold for E-Ink readers? They are far superior for reading but useless in general. I could see myself getting a Kindle in a few months (I have a first-gen Nook) but after that I don't think they will be relevant as tablets continue to advance.

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#3

Post by transfire » Thu, May 09, 2013, 2:03 AM UTC

I wish I could just use my Kobo E-Ink reader to browse my file server and read files from there. To me that would be the perfect E-Ink reader.

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#4

Post by transfire » Thu, May 09, 2013, 2:07 AM UTC

How does this effect Barnes and Noble?

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#5

Post by phamilton » Thu, May 09, 2013, 2:10 AM UTC

methodin wrote: post #2

What does the future hold for E-Ink readers? They are far superior for reading but useless in general. I could see myself getting a Kindle in a few months (I have a first-gen Nook) but after that I don't think they will be relevant as tablets continue to advance.

My guess is that E-ink readers will get cheap enough that everyone will have one. If I remember correctly, we've even had a wink and a nod from Bezos that their intention is to give them away. Get a free E-Ink reader with your Amazon Prime subscription, or something of that sort.

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#6

Post by acabal » Thu, May 09, 2013, 2:16 AM UTC

methodin wrote: post #2

What does the future hold for E-Ink readers? They are far superior for reading but useless in general. I could see myself getting a Kindle in a few months (I have a first-gen Nook) but after that I don't think they will be relevant as tablets continue to advance.

I see them as exactly that, dedicated reading devices. Tablets are great for some folks, but others like ereaders because:

-E-ink can be stared at for long periods and in bright light; staring at a tablet screen for long periods gives many (including me) eye strain.

-Tablets usually include many other apps and internet access, which is a huge distraction when you just want to focus on reading a book. When I'm reading, I prefer to just read.

-Good tablets are much more expensive, so people might hesitate to drag them all over the place like they would a paperback.

The technology is already pretty cheap to produce, and I imagine big players like Amazon, BN, Kobo, etc. will eventually just sell them for a token few bucks and make up the remainder in walled-garden sales.

In the end their usefulness depends on what kind of reader you are. If you read for just 30 minutes a day, then a tablet will probably be fine for you. If you spend hours with a book, a dedicated reader is nice just for the e-ink.

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#7

Post by seanmcdirmid » Thu, May 09, 2013, 2:19 AM UTC

methodin wrote: post #2

What does the future hold for E-Ink readers? They are far superior for reading but useless in general. I could see myself getting a Kindle in a few months (I have a first-gen Nook) but after that I don't think they will be relevant as tablets continue to advance.

It all depends on where E-ink technology goes. Can they master color? Can they do better on refresh?

I haven't heard anything new lately on how e-ink technology is continuing to advance, so I'm wondering if they've hit some kind of snag where they just aren't advancing fast enough to be very relevant outside of the ebook niche.

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#8

Post by doneallison » Thu, May 09, 2013, 2:20 AM UTC

transfire wrote: post #3

I wish I could just use my Kobo E-Ink reader to browse my file server and read files from there. To me that would be the perfect E-Ink reader.

I'm not sure exactly what you have in mind, but a rooted Nook Simple Touch might have the functionality you are describing. See, for example, this Lifehacker post: http://lifehacker.com/5926798/turn-your-rooted-nook-into-the...

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#9

Post by acabal » Thu, May 09, 2013, 2:21 AM UTC

It's too bad this basically means the death of the e-ink Nook. It was really a much better reader than Kindle for a long time, but BN couldn't stay a step ahead and Kindle ended up running circles around them.

If Nook had just cleaned up its dictionary, bumped up the resolution on the screen, improved its frontlight (as it was the frontlight "glaze" or whatever washed out the display significantly), and kept polishing the software, they might have stood a better chance. The epub capability is a huge win too.

Oh, and they should have chopped off the tablet arm long ago. How a bookseller thought they could compete with the likes of Apple, Samsung, and MS boggles the mind.

Edit: Musing out loud here, Nook could also have seen better success by selling a hacker-friendly Nook, maybe for a much higher price. In a world of walled-garden devices, the already-strong hackability of Nook was a huge win for them and, I think, kept them relevant for longer than they would have been otherwise.

Re: Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion

#10

Post by eclipxe » Thu, May 09, 2013, 2:28 AM UTC

Will be interesting to see the direction that Microsoft takes the team. I ran the mobile apps division at BN/Nook for a few years and there are a lot of talented engineers there. It is interesting to see that the focus on hardware is being shifted more to apps on third party devices. I fought many long and hard battles arguing for investment in that direction.