Microsoft & Barnes and Noble sittin' in a tree...

[BeccaPrice]

There's some speculation over at Dear Author that "NewCo" is just a place-holder name.

Barnes & Soft? Micro & Noble?

-becca

[Ekaros]

Not sure if they aren't going to go with shop in desktop Win 8 too. Just think how massive the user base for that one would be, allow somewhat easy integration for any device and they got massive potential user base.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

There's some speculation over at Dear Author that "NewCo" is just a place-holder name.

Barnes & Soft? Micro & Noble?

-becca

Yes, it is officially a place holder.
B&N hasn't said (or decided) what they want to call the operation.

Could be Nook, Inc or BNDigital, or any two random syllables jammed together.

I suspect they wrapped up negotiations late last night.

[Greg Anos]

We currently have two ecosystems - Apple and Amazon.

Apple started from the music/hardware interface, and expanded into phone and internet/media.

Amazon started from retail/sales and expanded into media/hardware.

Microsoft only has disparate pieces. It started from computer software/gaming, but hasn't been able to successfully expand into anything. Still...

If Microsoft can provide a worthwhile, seamless interface/interoperability among difference forms in the next couple years, (which I doubt, but I can't rule out), then you have a computer/gaming/phone/media/internet hardware platform with a software walled garden (B & N Nook store, expanded into music, games, video and apps as well as e-books). That could be monster that makes Apple look like a popgun...

[ScotiaBurrell]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

That could be monster that makes Apple look like a popgun...

they must move fast. more time pass, more people join amazon \ apple way and then find it hard to leave.

[hrosvit]

Originally Posted by teh603

I find the early reviews of Win8 somewhat discouraging.

Really? I admit I haven't read any reviews, but I have a tablet that came with Windows 7, and was terrible. I installed the consumer preview of Windows 8 on it, and I like it. It boots in about 8 seconds, and is pretty darn smooth. I admit, however, that I have not really put it through its paces, because I'm too enamored of my new iPad.

[Greg Anos]

Agreed. But that may be the plan...Microsoft may have figured out that the payoff is worth the cannibalizing of the exist PC business model...

After all look how much money/clout Apple currently has...

[teh603]

Originally Posted by hrosvit

Really? I admit I haven't read any reviews, but I have a tablet that came with Windows 7, and was terrible. I installed the consumer preview of Windows 8 on it, and I like it. It boots in about 8 seconds, and is pretty darn smooth. I admit, however, that I have not really put it through its paces, because I'm too enamored of my new iPad.

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Agreed. But that may be the plan...Microsoft may have figured out that the payoff is worth the cannibalizing of the exist PC business model...

After all look how much money/clout Apple currently has...

This. MS sees how Apple has dominated the tablet market, and that Apple has censorship power over the app store. Just have a look at what happened to the "Jew or Not Jew" app. Not that I support said app, but it makes a good example.

Scary part is, people are more accepting of being restricted to an app store now than they were before. All MS has to do is restrict people to using only MS- approved apps, and hey presto, it can now lock people out of using free software and start forcing people to pay for expensive and overblown softwares like Office.

Heaven forbid they find a way to burn it into a computer's ROMs, but that's probably next on the agenda.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by teh603

This. MS sees how Apple has dominated the tablet market, and that Apple has censorship power over the app store. Just have a look at what happened to the "Jew or Not Jew" app. Not that I support said app, but it makes a good example.

Scary part is, people are more accepting of being restricted to an app store now than they were before. All MS has to do is restrict people to using only MS- approved apps, and hey presto, it can now lock people out of using free software and start forcing people to pay for expensive and overblown softwares like Office.

Heaven forbid they find a way to burn it into a computer's ROMs, but that's probably next on the agenda.

They'd never to that! ...How could they then sell their overprice upgrades?...

[rdjack21]

I'm no big fan of amazon but I have to admit that I dislike Apple and Microsoft even more and if B&N is really budding up to Microsoft then my next device will either be a pure android device or a Kindle.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Microsoft only has disparate pieces. It started from computer software/gaming, but hasn't been able to successfully expand into anything. Still...

Uh, don't pin too many hopes until we get more details.
As of now, Microsoft's role is just providing the money and licensing Win8 if "Newco" chooses to use it. (It's just rumor and speculation.)
So far, all they've said is they are a minority investor in the spinoff and that's it.
This is still B&N's show.

Edit: If we're to speculate on what a Microsoft-based Nook (a MetroNook) might look like, consider this:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57...col;subStories

[wallcraft]

B&N clearly could introduce a MicroSoft based reading device, but it would be a massive mistake. Why would B&N let the 17.6% tail wag the dog? If they don't do this, then the deal sounds like a good one for B&N.

It would be a mistake because the hardware for such a device has to be more expensive that for the comparable Android based model. This is because MS has severely limited the choices of what SoC's to use for a MS tablet (no matter what flavor of the O/S it runs). On top of that, Android is free (particularly since B&N does not pay a MicroSoft patent tax) and B&N already knows how to build on top of Android. A MS device would take longer to develop, would be more expensive, and might require paying MS an explicit cut of the selling price.

To be clear, a Metro (say) tablet might be competitive with a top of the line Android tablet, but at the price points that B&N has traditionally worked within this is impossible.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

...particularly since B&N does not pay a MicroSoft patent tax...

Uh, no.
The press release from this morning explicitly says B&N *will* pay patent royalties on their android devices.
(Which are known to be higher than the licenses for WinPhone 7.)

Bill Gates may be gone but MS is not run by dummies.

[Ken Maltby]

There may also be an element of simple foresight. There may be an explosion of cheaper
eReaders in the foreseeable future.

http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/...?code=APLEBOOK

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...QULF8InWs2sPMw

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/...-150-e-reader/
(Notice that there has been 2 years since the above post and we are now seeing some
tablets based on the chips, about right for this sort of thing.)


Luck;
Ken

[ATimson]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

It would be a mistake because the hardware for such a device has to be more expensive that for the comparable Android based model. This is because MS has severely limited the choices of what SoC's to use for a MS tablet (no matter what flavor of the O/S it runs).

Uhh... where have you heard anything about Windows 8 tablets being "severely limited" in their chipset choice? I thought that they would run on pretty much the entire ARM gamut.