NT 8gb for those who wonder why

[seacitylady]

This was posted today a Wallstreet analyst

"Barnes & Noble climbed 5 percent despite missing expectations on revenue and per-share earnings, as rising costs offset higher sales of both traditional books and digital books. But investors seemed encouraged that the bookstore chain, a survivor in an era that has felled competitors like Borders and Waldenbooks, plans to introduce a cheaper Nook to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire. It's also been shifting store inventory away from books toward games, toys and other gifts, a strategy that seems to be paying off."

The NT 8gb is a quick fix to an earnings problem & to avoid losing shareholder confidence that could cause stocks from tanking further. Was the easiet thing to do, no re-tooling, just an elimination & a new box. There was already a lot of consumer confusion between the NT & NC & many have not seen differences as significant enough to spend the extra $50. NC was a good candidate to sacrifice as it is getting a little long in the tooth & was probably slated for phase out in the future. This also allows them to preserve the $249 price tag for the NT. Hope they have something else up their sleeve because this is not the end. Getting into a price war with Amazon is a losing proposition. Amazon really does not have to do anything to retaliate. All they need to do is drop their price. They can do it because the KF is essentially subsidized product. & any loss is being offset by their increased sales in other areas. This is too bad as I think the BN has superior products. Overall, a very short-sighted move.. .

[Grammaknits02]

I agree it seems like a major step backwards...less memory and less RAM?  I mean...who buys a new computer to downgrade??  If they would just open the tablet to the full android market, they would have a hit as other than that, their product is far superior to Amazon's products.

[flyingtoastr Inspired Wordsmith]

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Grammaknits02 wrote:

I agree it seems like a major step backwards...less memory and less RAM?  I mean...who buys a new computer to downgrade??  If they would just open the tablet to the full android market, they would have a hit as other than that, their product is far superior to Amazon's products.

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Who buys a new computer that isn't the ultra top of the line machine but makes some tradeoffs to lower the price?

Its's most people.

[BruceMcF]

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Grammaknits02 wrote:

I agree it seems like a major step backwards...less memory and less RAM?  I mean...who buys a new computer to downgrade??  If they would just open the tablet to the full android market, they would have a hit as other than that, their product is far superior to Amazon's products.

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Except at $200 for the lower horsepower Kindle Fire vs $250 for the higher horsepower Nook Tablet, no, they wouldn't.

It would be a step backward if they took the Nook Tablet 16G off the market ~ but as it stands, it supports the sales of the Nook Tablet 16G, since instead of forcing people to say "this for $200 or that for $250", they allow people to say "this for $200 or that for $200" ... and then for those who do decide to go for the Nook Tablet, "... but more RAM and Storage than the Kindle for $50 more".

And along with the $30 drop in the price of new Nook Colors to $170, the refurbished NC is down to $135.

Amazon can't move the Kindle Fire substantially below $200 in the short term future, so the NC will be bracketed beneath the KF, and Amazon can't do much about that, since Amazon can't rewrite history and have a lower power previous model of the Fire that has already covered its R&D and establishment costs out of sales already to date.

If Amazon introduces a higher powered big brother to the Kindle Fire (I dunno, the Kindle Blaze?), its got to aim to put out better performance than the Nook Tablet 16G at the same price. And if they take too long about it, the NT will have paid off enough of its development costs to bear a price cut leaving the new KF2 hanging out on the uncomfortable high side of the "range of budget media tablets" that was the NT's original problem ... the problem with the "high end of the budget class" is that there is always the low end of the next class up sitting there to try to poach your potential customers.

It'll be great fun watching how this market shakes out over the year ahead.

[BeckyWC]

A Kindle Fire 10" is rumored to drop 2nd quarter between May and June.

[robotecture]

I think we see a 10" nook tablet this year, spring...

[cgsmom]

Actually, I am amazed at the number of people who buy without doing any research.  I have some friends that bought a Kindle Fire right after it came out.  When I told them that I was probably going to buy a Nook Tablet, they said "It costs too much."  When I replied that it has a faster processor, more ram, and a SD card slot, they were completely surprised. They did no reasearch, and just bought the cheaper one.

I am no expert in business, but I hope BN knows what they are doing. Now that I have my Tablet, I want them to stay in business.

[Mrs_Gatz]

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cgsmom wrote:

Actually, I am amazed at the number of people who buy without doing any research.  I have some friends that bought a Kindle Fire right after it came out.  When I told them that I was probably going to buy a Nook Tablet, they said "It costs too much."  When I replied that it has a faster processor, more ram, and a SD card slot, they were completely surprised. They did no reasearch, and just bought the cheaper one.

I am no expert in business, but I hope BN knows what they are doing. Now that I have my Tablet, I want them to stay in business.

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Price gets em, ecosystem keeps em. The majority that is. 

And in the ecosystem department, BN needs serious tweeking. 

1) Open the market to receive updates + new releases 7 days a week instead of the current only on thursdays, or bi weekly if thursday is missed.

A healthy environment has new releases to jump on daily and have fun with, not a graveyard for 6 days

This is the biggest lesson from Apple, and one BN JUST DOESNT GET. For those of you that dont understand, BN releases approx 100 new apps on thursdays, generally. Whereas iTunes releases 100+ new apps per hour, and 1/4 are free or 'trials'.

Amazon gets it just fine. Even RIM with the failing Playbook. In the morning if nothing strikes your fancy, you can check back in a few hours for a nice surprise !

To Barnes & Noble - Question : Does the world shut down for 6 days and stay open only on a thursday? How about you try that as a company, and let us know how it turns out ! In case you misinterpreted the Bible I will set you straight, you work for 6 days and rest one. Got it ?

[geertm]

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Mrs_Gatz wrote:

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cgsmom wrote:

Actually, I am amazed at the number of people who buy without doing any research.  I have some friends that bought a Kindle Fire right after it came out.  When I told them that I was probably going to buy a Nook Tablet, they said "It costs too much."  When I replied that it has a faster processor, more ram, and a SD card slot, they were completely surprised. They did no reasearch, and just bought the cheaper one.

I am no expert in business, but I hope BN knows what they are doing. Now that I have my Tablet, I want them to stay in business.

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Price gets em, ecosystem keeps em. The majority that is. 

And in the ecosystem department, BN needs serious tweeking. 

1) Open the market to receive updates + new releases 7 days a week instead of the current only on thursdays, or bi weekly if thursday is missed.

A healthy environment has new releases to jump on daily and have fun with, not a graveyard for 6 days

This is the biggest lesson from Apple, and one BN JUST DOESNT GET. For those of you that dont understand, BN releases approx 100 new apps on thursdays, generally. Whereas iTunes releases 100+ new apps per hour, and 1/4 are free or 'trials'.

Amazon gets it just fine. Even RIM with the failing Playbook. In the morning if nothing strikes your fancy, you can check back in a few hours for a nice surprise !

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B&N does not develop apps. B&N relies on third party developers registering as Nook developers and creating Nook version of their apps.

Unless B&N's approval process is a bottleneck (I have no idea if that is the case) they probably get no more apps from developers than those 100 a week. Otherwise they would release them (at least that is how it seems to me).

[flyingtoastr Inspired Wordsmith]

The idea that BN only pushes new apps or updates on Thursdays is an utter myth. Hell, I just had 3 new updates pop yesterday for me.

[Mrs_Gatz]

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B&N does not develop apps. B&N relies on third party developers registering as Nook developers and creating Nook version of their apps.

Unless B&N's approval process is a bottleneck (I have no idea if that is the case) they probably get no more apps from developers than those 100 a week. Otherwise they would release them (at least that is how it seems to me).

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Exactly, they schedule it, once a week.

And sometimes they forget the day ! (in truth). 

[Mrs_Gatz]

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flyingtoastr wrote:

The idea that BN only pushes new apps or updates on Thursdays is an utter myth. Hell, I just had 3 new updates pop yesterday for me.

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You will never see a new app, forget updates, other than thursday, or if late friday, or if they forget, another day. Ever, period.

[flyingtoastr Inspired Wordsmith]

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Mrs_Gatz wrote:

You will never see a new app, forget updates, other than thursday, or if late friday, or if they forget, another day. Ever, period.

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I can point out numerous occasions where they do just that. For instance, right before the NOOK Tablet was launched (on a Monday) they dumped a bunch of new apps into the store (Grooveshark, MOG, Raphsody, etc.).

That's the first one to come to mind.

[Eustace2]

It is true that B&N does not develop the apps but relies on developers to create or modify apps for the NT.  Why is that?  Because B&N made choices in designing the NT and its software the affect its compatibility with "off the shelf apps."  The lack of apps is, at least in part, because of B&N's decisions and cannot be laid at the feet of the developer community.

Of course B&N don't want people using the Amazon AppStore.  I get that.  Also, it is not a simple process to be licensed for the Android Market, though B&N probably has the resources to figure it out if they wanted to.  But, the walled garden approach only works if you have a "garden" with a gazillion apps.  Otherwise, the limit on apps will limit the market for the device. 

It doesn't need to be complicated for B&N, the Nook Tablet is good enough that they could sell an "open" version for $XX more.  I would have paid $300 for this hardware, access to the Amazon and Adroit Markets, and an unlocked bootloader.  I would also continue to buy my books from B&N. 

The new tablet is a good business move. Like the Kindle Fire, it is a high powered reader that can be used as a tablet too.  Now,  B&N, open up your premium tablet and let everyone win.

[patgolfneb]

I have noticed that my android market apps updates tend to appear on Tuesday morning. Toaster, it really does seem that new apps, not updates show up on Fridays generally. This may have nothing to do with apps. It may be that computer center has a range of duties or that when free Friday book or publisher updates are processed they add it to the run. I feel the criticism is sort of odd anyway.

To me this comes under the category of get a life. If you are so involved in BN processes that you feel criticism at this level of detail is warranted, unless an employee , I feel you have lost perspective. Are there really that many people checking for new apps daily? If BN did have a policy of Friday app additions, is that necessarily a bad thing? Just like free book Fridays it would give people reason to visit the web site that day.

[Larryb52]

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Eustace2 wrote:

It is true that B&N does not develop the apps but relies on developers to create or modify apps for the NT.  Why is that?  Because B&N made choices in designing the NT and its software the affect its compatibility with "off the shelf apps."  The lack of apps is, at least in part, because of B&N's decisions and cannot be laid at the feet of the developer community.

Of course B&N don't want people using the Amazon AppStore.  I get that.  Also, it is not a simple process to be licensed for the Android Market, though B&N probably has the resources to figure it out if they wanted to.  But, the walled garden approach only works if you have a "garden" with a gazillion apps.  Otherwise, the limit on apps will limit the market for the device. 

It doesn't need to be complicated for B&N, the Nook Tablet is good enough that they could sell an "open" version for $XX more.  I would have paid $300 for this hardware, access to the Amazon and Adroit Markets, and an unlocked bootloader.  I would also continue to buy my books from B&N. 

The new tablet is a good business move. Like the Kindle Fire, it is a high powered reader that can be used as a tablet too.  Now,  B&N, open up your premium tablet and let everyone win.

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I totally agree with this, the nook tablet 16 gig is top of the line hardware BN needed the apps & to allow google app to be used, if their apps were better than of course you would buy them, by adding more options to a well made tablet this brings you sales & BN would be better off. If they want to satisfy sales and impress board member let it be a full fledged tablet at 250 it would be a steal...

[Omnigeek]

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Larryb52 wrote:

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Eustace2 wrote:

 Now,  B&N, open up your premium tablet and let everyone win.

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I totally agree with this, the nook tablet 16 gig is top of the line hardware BN needed the apps & to allow google app to be used, if their apps were better than of course you would buy them, by adding more options to a well made tablet this brings you sales & BN would be better off. If they want to satisfy sales and impress board member let it be a full fledged tablet at 250 it would be a steal...

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... and I'll offer a slightly dissenting opinion.  Tablet sales don't drive B&N's profit margins as much as content sales.  The XDA proponents that have raised such a ruckus in the past few months don't get that.  If B&N can open up without losing premium content that has a much higher return, great.  If B&N's management believes they will lose higher profits from content sales by opening up, then so be it.

Frankly, the B&N native environment works very well for me as they designed it -- better in fact than a native Android environment does.  Others mileage WILL vary with their own habits so feel free to say it would work better for you and X others you advise but you cannot make a blanket statement that everyone wins if they open up -- because the schlub who wants Netflix HD but loses it because of an open bootloader certainly doesn't (that's not me BTW since I prefer to watch movies on something at LEAST 17" in diagonal measurement, preferably 50" or better but certainly not 7").

BTW, Google's Android market wouldn't be authorized on the NT even if B&N wanted it to because Google only licenses it on systems they consider "fully" Android -- which means having the GPS receiver, camera(s), four hardware buttons, etc. -- so at least get your hopes in line with the facts.

[seacitylady]

I started this thread to present a bigger picture point of view & possible future repercussions of same. Instead it has segued into a discussion/argument about what day of the week BN updates it's app store.Talk about seeing the trees instead of the forest! If this company eventually goes out of business or the Nook product line gets spun off to someone else I don't think that will be of concern as there won't be any new apps to download.

As mentioned I hope BN has "something else" on the horizon that will be a blockbuster because engaging in a price war with Amazon in a dangerous move. The 8mg NT is not a "new" product. It's a corporate bandaid to keep the share price up in the face of declining earnings.

[TnTexas]

geertm: B&N does not develop apps. B&N relies on third party developers registering as Nook developers and creating Nook version of their apps.

Unless B&N's approval process is a bottleneck (I have no idea if that is the case) they probably get no more apps from developers than those 100 a week. Otherwise they would release them (at least that is how it seems to me).

From past comments in various discussions here from people who seem to be in the know, they have (or at least started out with) some pretty restrictive requirements for anyone wanting to put an app in their store, and their communication with the applicants was atrocious. The conclusion was that that was a pretty bad move on their part, one that they either haven't changed or haven't really recovered from.

flyingtoastr: The idea that BN only pushes new apps or updates on Thursdays is an utter myth. Hell, I just had 3 new updates pop yesterday for me.

Updates seem to come any day of the week, but I've only seen new apps appear in the store on either Thursday or Friday. They don't put out new apps every day of the week.

[flyingtoastr Inspired Wordsmith]

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TnTexas wrote:

Updates seem to come any day of the week, but I've only seen new apps appear in the store on either Thursday or Friday. They don't put out new apps every day of the week.

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Again, there is no set day for app pushes. I've seen new apps turn up all over the place in the past (again I cite the music apps that were pushed on a Sunday night before the NT's launch). It just happens that right now they seem to do the large pushes on Thursday or Friday, but it isn't some hard-and-fast rule by any means.