That might be the battle cry of Barnes & Noble and Microsoft, which announced a partnership this morning that will turn the Nook into its own business. It’s not quite a spin-off company yet, but that could happen down the road. As of now, according to Microsoft’s press release: “The partnership will accelerate the transition to e-reading, which is revolutionizing the way people consume, create, share and enjoy digital content.” Probably the biggest news coming out of the partnership is that a Nook reading app will be pre-loaded in all upcoming Windows 8 releases. That’s a lot of Nook.
All Things D reports: “Microsoft, which had completely ceded the ereader market to Amazon, Apple and everyone else, gets into the business for via a very small investment.” And by “very small” we’re talking $300 million, which gives Microsoft 17.6 percent ownership of the new endeavor.
Besides the Nook app on Windows 8, the deal includes Barnes & Noble’s college bookselling unit, which could prove to be huge down the road. Remember Apple’s announcement about getting into the textbook business earlier this year?
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
