Bolaji, I agree with you completely. Without each other Barnes and Noble and the Nook won't survive. With Borders closing, Barnes and Noble is the only large bookstore chain around. Even with the eventual shift to digital content, I think B&N is better off on its own at the moment.
Barnes & Noble may want to spin off the Nook, but what kind of prospect will it have without the parent? The Nook has done fairly well so far because of the linkage with Barnes & Noble. Out there on its own, it will become just another tablet trying to take on Apple's iPad. Amazon's Kindle caught fire because it opens the door to a huge online market for the company's already huge consumer base.
The Nook won't be able to stand alone without Barnes & Noble, which in turn cannot face a future world of digitized content without its e-reader. Let them stay together, at least until the dust settles.
stochastic e: The Journal reports B&N entered the e-books arena in 2003 through an acquisition but abandoned the idea when it didn't take off. I was unaware of that and I find it interesting. Timing isn't everything, but in this case, that call certainly contributed to B&N now playing catch-up
In a market where competition is fierce between full-featured tablets, e-readers--especially the Nook--have a long way to catch up. The market for printed material is certainly smaller, but the number of retailers has also shrank, and it looks like it's just B&N right now.
Barnes and Nobles is better off sticking with its established core operation, leveraging an increasingly niche but longstanding market. In doing so however it can't afford to ignore the appeal of on-line content, especially periodicals that have successfully established a dual print/on-line presence with internet pay walls. Amazon and Google books use another approach to sell content on-line, and it looks like this is something that B&N has missed out on completely.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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