News Report #3
“Barnes & Noble unveils its first hi-definition tablets”
Phil Wahba
9/26/2012
Barnes & Nobel has released its first hi-definition
tablets. According to analysts, these new tablets will keep Barnes & Nobel
“in the fight with Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc. and Google Inc.-for now.”
Microsoft has agreed to invest $605 million in the Nook e-reader over the next
five years. While this new e-reader is
an improvement from past e-readers, it will be difficult for Barnes & Nobel
to continue to unleash new products because the corporation is financially
smaller than others (even with the help from Microsoft).This new tablet is
lighter and thinner for easy readability compared to its rivals, like the
I-Pad. Barnes & Nobel is in constant competition with Amazon’s e-reader
devices. And currently, Amazon holds 60% of the U.S e-book market. According to
Forrester’s Epps, Barnes & Nobel is trying to transition its established
clientele “onto the digital platform.” These new hi-definition tablets allow
each member of a family to create their own home page and tailor preferences.
The tablet also possesses controls to block children from inappropriate
content. Because the majority of Barnes & Nobel’s customer base read books
and magazines, the tablet features new page-turning technologies and increased
image resolution.
I have never owned an e-reading device, but my mother loves
the Kindle e-readers. She would be interested in these new features that the
Kindle lacks. Barnes & Nobel created a smart and sensible e-reader for
families. As opposed to everyone having their own e-reader, it can be shared by
family members, while still keeping each person’s settings intact. I think that
Barnes & Nobel is going in the right direction, realizing that people are
moving to digital reading, with its ideas of how to keep its customers and gain
new ones. Even though the company is pursuing new and improved ideas and
technologies with its e-readers, the fact that their financial means are not
limitless, Barnes & Nobel will still be competing with companies that have
infinite means. It is hard to predict what will eventually become of Barnes
& Nobel, but unless they can dramatically increase their profits while
maintaining their customer base, I predict they will share the same end as
Borders: bankruptcy.
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