Barnes & Nobles has built a successful digital business with Nook, but its success has been predicated on the key assets it may lose in its potential spin-off. Besides its stores, the company has a strong channel relationship with publishers that wouldn't necessarily carry over if nook became a standalone business.
Does the company as its considering a spin-off, has the resources necessary to undertake international expansion, an investment that will become imperative as its competitors such as Amazon?
why buy an e-reader, when a more fully functional tablet can serve that purpose, and much more?
@Eldredge, there are lot of advantages of an e-reader over tablet. e-readers are intended to make avid book readers feel as if they are reading a printed paper page. And since there is no backlight required in the eReader,they dont cause eye-strain.
t.alex: I know that e-books can be accessed from a number of sites/providers, including B&N and Amazon. What I am not sure of, and will investiagte, is how the licensing and digital rights are handled. Or possibly readers can help? In other words, does an e-book provider/device maker have to license Steven King's books, or does the publisher handle this? I'm sure it's easy to find out, I just haven't looked into it. To your earlier point, I'm still a fan of print, particulalrly when traveling. There is a "read it and trade it in" system in airport bookstores that I like--and since I am a fast reader, I can read something from point A and trade in in at point B. I know e-readers offer the same and possibly better service, but since I am already lugging my laptop and cellphone, right now an e-reader/tablet is something else I need to worry about charging...
I still love to hold a book instead of a tablet or e-reader. But I realize one thing: people can also order books via Amazon as well. Isn't it a great threat to B&N?
I suspect Barnes & Noble is in a market that's declining faster than the company can shore up the defenses. I don't really need a Nook or even a Kindle Fire to read ebooks or surf the web. You'll be amazed at the effectiveness of some of today's smartphones. I am gradually getting used to the small screens of these products, a defect (if it is) that is quite easily redeemed by the clarity. Without its enormous e-market products, Amazon couldn't have made a dent in the tablet PC market and if all Barnes & Noble has to offer is access to a few publications or its website, the company is headed downhill.
B&N is now heavily discounting the Nook tablet for people that subscribe to select publications. Clearly, it is trying to get its foot in the door in the hope of building more content sales. Sounds familiar--Amazon is taking a loss on the Kindle Fire to make headway in the retail business. Stay tuned...
I agree - why buy an e-reader, when a more fully functional tablet can serve that purpose, and much more? It seems like B&Ns nitch may end as a provider of the e-book digital media.
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.
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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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