Quote:
Originally Posted by pwalker8
Therefore Apple could not have put them out of business. Companies that buy competitors don't normally keep them in business for long.
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No. Either they assimilate them, like Microsoft did with Skype and Nokia or they cannibalize them, by taking what they want (like Google taking Motorola's patents) and either selling the brand name or just letting the brand die.
B&N kept Fictionwise for 3 years. That means they wanted the Fictionwise brand to earn them money. They didn't cannibalize it nor did they buy it to get rid of competition. If they just didn't want FW around, they wouldn't have waited years to close them.
Ultimately, the reason FW was shuttered is because it wasn't making money. That's what companies do with divisions that don't earn money.
Now, what stopped FW from making money with their business model? Ah yes, Agency, which threw a wrench into almost all eBook sales models via price fixing.