How does Barnes and Noble respond?

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by boswd

Why do hate Barnes and NOble so much?, I just find it so bizarre.

I think I don't understand your comment.

I don't hate any company. What I'm showing is a fact. You can check yourself.

[geertm]

With Amazon having no plans to release the new models outside the US (at least for the moment), except for the cheapest basic model, B&N really needs to get those publisher agreements to sell their e-readers and books outside the US.
Here in Europe all e-books stores use the e-pub format. Except perhaps for Sony there is not a real market leader for e-reader devices. And because of geo-restrictions at the moment the Kindle is the only ereader that makes it easy to buy DRM'ed English ebooks (without having to use workarounds).

I think there is a great opportunity for B&N outside the US at the moment. If they wait until the new Kindle models are available outside the US, than they will miss their last chance to get a significant marketshare outside the US.

[=X=]

B&N has found themselves in a pinch. While I agree with bowd that opening up the B&N nook to the Android Market would be a good thing I seriously doubt B&N will even consider this. Truthfully speaking it brings B&N no revenue doing so. Also since B&N is not a hardware company selling tablets is not their aim. They sell content and an open platform just does not work.

Amazon has changed the game on them as far as tablet competitions goes. I don't think B&N can compete here. Amazon has always been a technology company and has the infrastructure to support it. B&N does not.

Further more Amazon "Silk" browser will allow them to monitor their customers closely and tailor their sales to them as well as sell information competing directly with Google.

I don't think B&N will do anything different. They'll continue to make sleek hardware and tie it heavily to their store and slowly by slowly get left behind.

It is a brilliant move by Amazon.

The real competition has shifted to Google, the Google Xoom better be more attractive than the Kindle Fire.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by =X=

B&N has found themselves in a pinch. While I agree with bowd that opening up the B&N nook to the Android Market would be a good thing I seriously doubt B&N will even consider this.

CAN they do so? Google have specific hardware requirements for a device to be able to use the Android Marketplace, such as having a camera and GPS. Does the Nook Color meet those requirements? If not, Google will not permit the Marketplace to be hosted on the device.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by geertm

With Amazon having no plans to release the new models outside the US (at least for the moment), except for the cheapest basic model, B&N really needs to get those publisher agreements to sell their e-readers and books outside the US.
Here in Europe all e-books stores use the e-pub format. Except perhaps for Sony there is not a real market leader for e-reader devices. And because of geo-restrictions at the moment the Kindle is the only ereader that makes it easy to buy DRM'ed English ebooks (without having to use workarounds).

I think there is a great opportunity for B&N outside the US at the moment. If they wait until the new Kindle models are available outside the US, than they will miss their last chance to get a significant marketshare outside the US.

You do realize it would take longer to negotiate those deals than for K4s to go global?
If we believe the rumors from a few weeks back, the K4s will hit France on 8 Oct 2011.

[Kycoo]

Originally Posted by Tinks

I think B&N will need to do an ad version like Amazon in order to get the price down on their eReaders. They've got to be competitively priced or they really could go out of business. People like good deals, and they'll go wherever the good deals are.

The nook touch is already an "ad version" given the unsolicited samples that BN pushes to nook owners whether they like it or not, with no way to opt out.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by HarryT

CAN they do so? Google have specific hardware requirements for a device to be able to use the Android Marketplace, such as having a camera and GPS. Does the Nook Color meet those requirements? If not, Google will not permit the Marketplace to be hosted on the device.

Nobody knows what those requirements are, many pundits close to Android have speculated but Google has never been open about what is needed.

My guess is it has more to do with a strategic alliance with Google than hardware requirements.

=X=

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Kycoo

The nook touch is already an "ad version" given the unsolicited samples that BN pushes to nook owners whether they like it or not, with no way to opt out.

Wow. I had no idea that has been going on. I would have thought there would be a big stink about that.

[faithbw]

Originally Posted by boswd

Why do hate Barnes and NOble so much?, I just find it so bizarre.

I don't think it's about hating B&N as much as stating the fact that B&N is in serious trouble right now. The nook is helping to keep them afloat but with the new Kindles advertised, you have to wonder how long that is going to last. I say this as someone who wants B&N to stay in business as well as the makers of other e-readers. The last thing we need is a monoply but with the pricing of the Kindle, Amazon is making it that much harder for other players to stay in the business.

[JeremyR]

Same way they have been. Drop the prices as much as possible, and continue to leverage their retail store connectivity.

It's unlikely but I think they also really need to figure out how to make an alliance with Sony. While I doubt it would be a major selling point, if could come out with a Playstation Suite compatible Nook Color, it might help.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

By this time next year, I can easily see Kindle+Nook+Kobo adding up to 99% market share. And with dedicated ebook readers already in 15% of US households, and maybe 10-15% more ready to jump in, according to recent reports, this particular game doesn't have long to run.

I wouldn't write Sony off the eink market yet. I played with the PRS-T1 here in Toronto last weekend. It's a very nice upgrade; very light; reasonably intuitive to operate; stylish; and a Sony.

My guess is Amazon stays out of non-US markets with Kindle Fire for at least another year but continues to promote non-ad eink devices internationally. The entry level Kindle (no keyboard, no touch) is already listed as shipping in Canada.

Amazon has done a dismal job selling mp3s; they are a footnote to iTunes. But they bring a lot of muscle to the table and Netflix has shown there is a taste for streaming video content. Netflix has its own challenges and risks self-imploding, following Blockbuster out the door; Amazon could easily leverage that consumer taste and profit handsomely.

What Amazon brings above all other players is synergy ... and the determination to monetize that in tangible, profitable, consumer friendly ways. Kindle with Special Offers is a brilliant example: you can save $25 to $40 and get the same thing with an ad-driven screen saver layer. Or the way they implement library lending with Overdrive. Or embedding its video service in a $79 annual "preferred shipping" package -- it gets cash up front, essentially duplicates Netflix's monthly fee for video, and throws in discount shipping on everything else you might buy.

There is, obviously, room for more than one player but Amazon has raised the stakes. B&N is the most threatened because its core business is a mess and it is counting on the Nook to rescue it. Kobo is a very lean operation, deeply focused on ebooks and exploiting markets where Amazon is not yet ridiculously dominant (and which B&N skips altogether); well executed, Kobo potentially has a long-term role. Sony can afford to hang around indefinitely and their latest iteration is rather more realistically priced.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

It's unlikely but I think they also really need to figure out how to make an alliance with Sony. While I doubt it would be a major selling point, if could come out with a Playstation Suite compatible Nook Color, it might help.

I agree a B&N Nook / Sony match would make sense but Sony does seem very determined to proceed trying to be Amazon with its own (rather more pricey) tablet, the S1. Unfortunately, while Sony has some terrific content assets, it tends to think like a CE company and can't seem to find the synergies.

Sony and Kobo may have some mutually helpful overlap in their pursuit of international customers within the eink space. Merging the book stores, client bases, distribution models could make some sense. Lots of details to sort through though.

[stonetools]

Specs and Android Market access matters to geeks: what the average consumer looks for is content. Here, B& N is lacking compared to Amazon but its not hopeless.
*It has just as much access to magazine content as Amazon
* Its app store is small but Amazon's is not all that large either
* It has a partnership with a video game company so it might be able to take a lead in the rapidly growing mobile gaming industry
* It can leverage its B&M presence. Now techies may not think that's an advantage but its a HUGE advantage when it comes to selling stuff. When you walk into a B&N, the Nook display is front and center, complete with a smiling salesperson ready to answer your questions.
When you walk into the Best Buy, if you can get anyone to notice you at all, you get pointed to some stand heaped with e-readers, some of which are Kindles. God help you if you have a question, the sales staff certainly won't.
Now for geeks, this may not matter: but for non-geeks, this is major.
The big gap is in video , mp3sand cloud services. If B&N can get Netflix, that advantage is negated but B&N doesn't have a prayer with cloud services or mp3s.
Amazon has set the bar pretty high but B&N has some cards to play. It can roll out an NC2 that's a little better than the Fire and a cheapo Nook ereader too. But, let's face it, they have a hell of a hill to climb.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by stonetools

Specs and Android Market access matters to geeks: what the average cons
* It can leverage its B&M presence. Now techies may not think that's an advantage but its a HUGE advantage when it comes to selling stuff. When you walk into a B&N, the Nook display is front and center, complete with a smiling salesperson ready to answer your questions.
When you walk into the Best Buy, if you can get anyone to notice you at all, you get pointed to some stand heaped with e-readers, some of which are Kindles. God help you if you have a question, the sales staff certainly

You brought a very interesting point.

A physical store has something that Internet does not have, human touch, human interaction. Ability to fill all your senses, with ads, displays, etc. On Internet is just a monitor, your eyes and a mouse.

However, that also has a disadvantage. You have to pay taxes for the building (if not rented ) payroll for the people who actually work there, electricity , water, maintenance , furniture , etc. So it's not an easy game.

But you are right. Stores usually do not promote any device in particular except Apple, where usually you will find an Apple representative ready to answer questions if you walk close to an Apple display. At least, that's what I've seen in most BB here in TX.

[Andrew H.]

B&N will have their work cut out for them dealing with Amazon's new offerings, but I don't think that things are hopeless for B&N. And they may not have been as surprised by some of what Amazon brought as we (or I) was.

1. Special Offers. The Nook will have to offer some of these to get the price down; a lot of shoppers are very price sensitive when it comes to e-readers. Which is why the K3 KSO wifi ($114) is the current Kindle bestseller. Added to this is the fact that, I assume, the Special Offers are bringing more to Amazon than they expected - while the original SO's only gave a $25 discount, on the new line there are discounts of up to $50 - and even the cheapest Kindle has a $30 discount for special offers.

However, the KSO has been out for a while, and B&N has had the chance to see how it works...so I would be surprised if they *haven't* been working on something similar. Although they may have done so under the assumption that an appropriate discount would be $25 and not more. Still, they need to add something like this, and in time for Christmas - when grandma sees that she can buy junior a Kindle for $79 or a Nook for $139, she will probably go for the Kindle. (And you know that "Kindle, starting at $79..." is going to be heavily advertised.)

2. Nook Color 2. B&N has been working on this for some time; I would assume that it will have similar specs to the Kindle. But they need to have a matching price, or a clear reason why the NC 2 is worth $50 more.

No one was surprised that the Fire came with an easy way to watch Amazon's videos; everyone knew this would be the case, and no one more than B&N. So what they need to do - and presumably have been working on for a year - is offer Netflix, Hulu, and any other similar service on the 2. Netflix and Hulu compete directly with Amazon, so I think that they would also be interested.

Silk is pretty cool, and I'll be interested to see how it works in person, - but I don't think it's really going to be much of a selling point for average consumers. And over wifi, the normal browser works well enough.

3. 3G. One of the things that is missing from the Fire is 3G. A NC2 with 3G for $250 would be very competitive if you could buy a monthly no-contract data plan for $15 or so for 250 MB. (or more...).

4. International. The Nook needs to be available internationally, particularly in markets where Epub is standard, Kindle isn't that established yet, and people are happy enough to side-load books.