Nook clearly headed for the dumpster...

[murraypaul]

To exit the tablet hardware business.
Not the eInk business.

[tubemonkey]

From today's press release

The company plans to significantly reduce losses in the NOOK segment by limiting risks associated with manufacturing. Going forward, the company intends to continue to design eReading devices and reading platforms, while creating a partnership model for manufacturing in the competitive color tablet market. Thus, the widely popular lines of Simple Touch™ and Glowlight™ products will continue to be developed in house, and the company’s tablet line will be co-branded with yet to be announced third party manufacturers of consumer electronics products. At the same time, the company intends to continue to build its digital catalog, adding thousands of eBooks every week, and launching new NOOK Apps™.

The company will continue to offer its existing inventory of its high quality NOOK® HD and NOOK® HD+ devices at amazing prices through the holiday. As always, Barnes & Noble will provide world-class pre- and post-sales support in its stores for its NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ customers, as well as ongoing software upgrades and improvements to the digital bookstore service.

[detayls]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

To exit the tablet hardware business.
Not the eInk business.

How long do you think that will last?

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by detayls

How long do you think that will last?

It all depends, if, and when, they launch a new ereader, and not just in the US. There is a whole world outside the US.

Saying that the Amazon infrastructure will take some beating. I can buy a DRM free book anywhere and email it to Amazon who will convert it if need be, and deliver it to my Kindle, and store it for me.

[tubemonkey]

B&N singing a tale of woe about the Nook

[JSWolf]

Google partnered with Nexus and they are doing well. So this does not mean the end of the world. It could be the beginning of something good. You have no evidence to prove that this is the end because there isn't any.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Google partnered with Nexus and they are doing well.

Are they? Do Google make a profit on Nexus devices?

So this does not mean the end of the world. It could be the beginning of something good. You have no evidence to prove that this is the end because there isn't any.

The fat lady may not be singing, but she is getting her costume ready.

Overall figures:

Fourth quarter consolidated revenues decreased 7.4% to $1.3 billion as compared to the prior year. The consolidated fourth quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) loss was $122.0 million, as compared to a loss of $9.7 million in the prior year. The consolidated fourth quarter net loss was $118.6 million, as compared to the prior year net loss of $56.9 million. Fourth quarter net losses were $2.11 per share as compared to a net loss of $1.06 per share a year ago.

For fiscal 2013, consolidated revenues decreased 4.1% to $6.8 billion as compared to the prior year. Fiscal 2013 consolidated EBITDA was $10.3 million, as compared to $176.7 million a year ago. Fiscal 2013 consolidated net losses were $154.8 million, or $2.97 per share, as compared to $65.6 million, or $1.35 per share in the prior year.

NOOK figures:

The NOOK segment, which consists of the company's digital business (including devices, digital content and accessories), had revenues of $108 million for the quarter and $776 million for the full year, decreasing 34.0% for the quarter and 16.8% for the year, as compared to the year ago periods. Device sales declined during the fourth quarter due to lower selling volume.

NOOK EBITDA losses were $177 million for the fourth quarter, which include an additional $133 million of inventory charges as the company adopted more aggressive promotional strategies given the shift in strategic direction. NOOK EBITDA losses were $475 million for the full year, primarily driven by cumulative NOOK inventory related charges of $222 million.

And the future:

For fiscal year 2014, the company expects Retail comparable bookstore sales to decline in the high-single digits on a percentage basis. College comparable store sales are expected to decline in the low-single digits on a percentage basis.

[JSWolf]

You cannot say that this is the end because we've not seen what B&N will be doing with the next devices. All we know for sure is that B&N is saying that there will be new devices.

[detayls]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You cannot say that this is the end because we've not seen what B&N will be doing with the next devices. All we know for sure is that B&N is saying that there will be new devices.

What they said is that they are looking for hardware partners.

Would you partner with B&N? Nope, thought as much. Nook is history.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You cannot say that this is the end because we've not seen what B&N will be doing with the next devices. All we know for sure is that B&N is saying that there will be new devices.

B&N partners with yet-to-be revealed Chinese company to produce their next gen tablet

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by detayls

What they said is that they are looking for hardware partners.

Would you partner with B&N? Nope, thought as much. Nook is history.

I would not partner with B&N because I don't have the money. But if I did, I would.

There's no way you can say the nook tablet is history with facts to back it up.

[Rbneader]

I hope they can recover from the body-blow the Nook write-downs are giving them. I think it's a good sign that they did lower the price, though. They recognized that something was wrong and are moving on. So that's encouraging.

Admittedly, it is about the only bright spot. The worst (for me) would be is if they come back with an Windows RT tablet. Nothing I have will run on those, so I absolutely wouldn't be buying one. I don't think this is likely, though. They'd have to redo their entire ecosystem.

[kevinp]

"leaving third-party partners to build future Nook devices"

I wonder how exactly that will work out.

[mr_nihilism]

Oh, the inevitability of it all.....

[PatNY]

Well, if the HD/HD+ are the swan song for the Nook-Android tablets then they've done a terrific job with the hardware. And right now, with full access to Google Play, I think the Nook HD is the best tablet in the 7-8" category, assuming you don't need a camera/gps. I'm glad I was able to get one of these at the good sale prices.

It's too bad B&N faltered with marketing and, on the software side, keeping things closed to Google Play for too long. Had they not done that and planned ahead with more foresight, they might have been able to survive independently much longer.

The co-branded tablets, if they materialize, will be interesting. But as Rbneader said, if it's a Windows-based tablet, I don't think I'll have any interest in it. Hopefully they keep it in the Android family.

--Pat