Comments on: Why isn’t Barnes & Noble in the e-reader game? http://www.teleread.org/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:56 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Fred Kiesche http://www.teleread.org/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/comment-page-1/#comment-898627 Fred Kiesche Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:22:52 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/#comment-898627 Given the financial difficulties at Borders, maybe B&N is wiser not to distribute an eBook reader. I think part of the problem at Borders has been big bets on things that haven't paid off (they seem to carry more games and miniatures than B&N, for example). Until things settle on standards, I think B&N is wiser not to adopt an "official" eBook reader or to install a POD station and the like. Focus on the core, and after the economy shakes out then start to expand at the margin. Given the financial difficulties at Borders, maybe B&N is wiser not to distribute an eBook reader. I think part of the problem at Borders has been big bets on things that haven’t paid off (they seem to carry more games and miniatures than B&N, for example).

Until things settle on standards, I think B&N is wiser not to adopt an “official” eBook reader or to install a POD station and the like. Focus on the core, and after the economy shakes out then start to expand at the margin.

]]> By: Bill Janssen http://www.teleread.org/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/comment-page-1/#comment-898424 Bill Janssen Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:19:40 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/#comment-898424 Joe, Amazon has a reason for pushing Kindle; B&N (and Sony) don't, so far as I can see. The Kindle isn't about reading, it's about retailing. See my post at http://pubfrontier.com/2008/07/20/e-ink-the-kindle-and-the-iphone/. Poor Sony seems to be playing a sad game of me-too; the PRS-505 is a beautiful piece of technology, but I can't see where they're going with it. B&N seems smart not to get caught in that trap. Instead, they should do something different, like POD kiosks or a J2ME reading app that runs on lots of different kinds of cell phones. Joe,

Amazon has a reason for pushing Kindle; B&N (and Sony) don’t, so far as I can see. The Kindle isn’t about reading, it’s about retailing. See my post at http://pubfrontier.com/2008/07/20/e-ink-the-kindle-and-the-iphone/.

Poor Sony seems to be playing a sad game of me-too; the PRS-505 is a beautiful piece of technology, but I can’t see where they’re going with it. B&N seems smart not to get caught in that trap. Instead, they should do something different, like POD kiosks or a J2ME reading app that runs on lots of different kinds of cell phones.

]]> By: Mike Cane http://www.teleread.org/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/comment-page-1/#comment-897584 Mike Cane Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:04:11 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/#comment-897584 I wouldn't like to see B&N adopt the iLiad. That'd only further confuse the market. Really, amazon should drop out too. Sony should win. (Right, that's my political rant for today...) I wouldn’t like to see B&N adopt the iLiad. That’d only further confuse the market. Really, amazon should drop out too. Sony should win. (Right, that’s my political rant for today…)

]]> By: Liviu http://www.teleread.org/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/comment-page-1/#comment-897568 Liviu Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:37:44 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/09/07/why-isnt-barnes-noble-in-the-e-reader-game/#comment-897568 B&N got burned with e-books around 2000 so they may wait for now. Regarding Borders vs B&N, I agree that B&N is the bigger company from many points of view, but the regular - not Express - Borders store are usually bigger on average than the regular B&N ones from my expereince and I've been in tens of each. Borders just bet a lot on cd/dvd's and lost big money so its recent troubles are not due to book sales which are similar to B&N's B&N got burned with e-books around 2000 so they may wait for now.

Regarding Borders vs B&N, I agree that B&N is the bigger company from many points of view, but the regular – not Express – Borders store are usually bigger on average than the regular B&N ones from my expereince and I’ve been in tens of each. Borders just bet a lot on cd/dvd’s and lost big money so its recent troubles are not due to book sales which are similar to B&N’s

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