Barnes & Noble's Next Nook Tablet to be Based on Windows 8?

Following rumors that Barnes & Noble plans to release a sequel to the Nook Tablet later this year, Digital Trends has learned that the book retailer will announce the gadget during a press conference – scheduled for late September – held in the Union Square flagship location in New York City. This is the same place Barnes & Noble has held previous press events to reveal its devices.

Details surrounding the new tablet are virtually nonexistent, and for good reason. Google recently launched its Nexus 7 tablet, and Amazon just revealed its Android 4.0-powered Kindle Fire HD 7- and 8.9-inch tablets which seemingly trumps what Google currently has in its hand. The last contender to show its cards is Apple which will supposedly showcase its iPad Mini – presumably a scaled down version of the older 1st-gen iPad 2 tablet – sometime during October (after the iPhone 5 reveal later this month).

But Barnes & Noble, which really hasn't seen the tablet exposure enjoyed by rivals Amazon, Apple and Google, may have its own ace up its sleeve. There's indication that the Nook Tablet sequel may be powered by Windows 8, as the book retailer has been working closely with Microsoft, according to sources. Prior models have focused on the ease of use as an e-reader – this one may focus on tablet features like multimedia, gaming and whatnot, more so than before.

That said, the new Nook won't hit the market until after Microsoft launches Windows 8. It may be that Barnes & Noble will wait and see what Apple has in store for the iPad Mini, and will launch the gadget sometime in November. Using Windows 8 will put Barnes & Noble in a more aggressive stance against the competitors, but for a higher cost given that Microsoft doesn't freely distribute its OS like Google's open-source Android.

But here's one important, glaring factor: Microsoft is investing $605 million over five years in Barnes & Noble's Nook and college business. In turn, the book retailer is receiving a much-needed capital injection and means to enter the digital books market outside the United States. This new subsidiary, as reported back in April by Reuters, will be run and majority owned by Barnes & Noble, and will maintain a relationship with the bookstore chain's nearly 700 storage.

"The deal brings Microsoft technology and engineers into the Nook business - that talent will be tapped to make the Nook even better," said Albert Greco, a book industry expert at the business school of Fordham University in New York. "It gives Microsoft a tablet already, and Barnes & Noble global reach for the Nook platform, through Windows 8."

Microsoft's initial investment will be $300 million, giving it a 17.6-percent stake in the new Barnes & Noble subsidiary which is valued at $1.7 billion. Over the next five years, Microsoft will invest another $305 million. Barnes & Noble Chief Executive William Lynch originally said the funds would be dumped into the international rollout and new reading software for the Windows platform.

Because of these factors, a Nook Tablet HD powered by Windows 8 seems all too likely for a late October – early November release. Given Microsoft's investment, the Redmond company will likely do away with the licensing fees associated with the OS, although at this point it's unclear as to where Barnes & Noble will go on the hardware front: x86/x64 or ARM? Either way, Microsoft has it covered.

Here's something else to chew on: the Nook Tablet HD will probably not be in the same competitive bracket as Microsoft's own Surface. The Barnes & Noble device will likely still focus on reading books, and will likely stay within the 7-inch market, giving Microsoft a $199 jewel in its upcoming tablet portfolio.

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  • CaedenV
    $200 for a device with a ~$50 OS on it? I am very curious to see what kind of hardware they fit into such a small $$ footprint...
    Reply
  • math1337
    It will probably be a completely custom job with windows 8 as a base. That probably means that there will not be the level of rooting and community support that the android version had. I'll take the kindle Fire HD.
    Reply
  • chuckydb
    math1337It will probably be a completely custom job with windows 8 as a base. That probably means that there will not be the level of rooting and community support that the android version had. I'll take the kindle Fire HD.Kndle fire is a joke of an Android tablet.
    Get something like a nexus 7.
    Reply
  • ojas
    Hmmm so the Droid M gets an Intel SoC in the UK while the Nook (and more than 6 other devices) gets Win 8, and win 8 hasn't even had a consumer launch yet.

    Where did i read that "wintel will fail" article again?
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    The OS choice and "investment" was more driven by a M$ patent lawsuit settlement with B&N than technology.
    Reply
  • Unlike a screen upgrade and a video store, the Windows 8 option has so far been entirely based on speculation by market observers, with nothing sourced back to anyone from B&N.

    Indeed, if the new B&N tablet has the horsepower to run Windows8 for ARM, it is also quite possible (1) to sell it with the B&N overlaid Android system and the Windows8 for ARM as an optional upgrade and (2) for the movement to be going the opposite direction, with the new video store being, in effect, a way to export XBox Live media to Android.
    Reply
  • Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer
    math1337It will probably be a completely custom job with windows 8 as a base. That probably means that there will not be the level of rooting and community support that the android version had. I'll take the kindle Fire HD.I very much doubt, if this rumor is true, that Microsoft will allow the Nook to be heavily customized at all. In fact, I see this as an opportunity to get Windows 8 out in front of the kind of people who aren't shopping for a computer. Microsoft doesn't care whether you're using a Surface or a Nook Tablet or whatever, they just want you to own a device with the Windows App Store on it.
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    Old_Fogie_Late_BloomerI very much doubt, if this rumor is true, that Microsoft will allow the Nook to be heavily customized at all. In fact, I see this as an opportunity to get Windows 8 out in front of the kind of people who aren't shopping for a computer. Microsoft doesn't care whether you're using a Surface or a Nook Tablet or whatever, they just want you to own a device with the Windows App Store on it.Bingo. Perhaps MS is giving RT away to device manufacturers free in order to populate the store?
    Reply
  • ethanolson
    It' Windows RT, not Windows 8... though the only difference is that there's no desktop or traditional Control Panel in Windows RT. That's a huge difference because I spend about 95% of my time on the desktop. Yes, I'm running Windows 8 Enterprise (RTM).
    Reply
  • Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer
    caedenvBingo. Perhaps MS is giving RT away to device manufacturers free in order to populate the store?Actually, I picture the conversation going more like this, at least in the case of Barnes and Noble: "You can pay us $15 in licensing fees on every device you sell, and get little or no support from Google while you're working with Android, or you could pay us a discounted $40 per device and get plenty of engineering support from us for your extra $25. Oh, and we'll invest in your higher-education subsidiary."

    But you could be right; Microsoft might have decided to offer the OS for free. Of course, if it does that, it will probably have to do that for everyone, not just Barnes and Noble, or there could be legal hell to pay.

    The more I think about this, the more intrigued I get. I could see this working out really well for everyone, including app developers, if everything comes together. The Nook will totally be worth it to college kids if they can save money by renting e-books rather than buying physical books that they'll never use again after one or two semesters (I would have loved for this to have been an option for me). And you know they'll be poking around the app store.

    Then there's the market of people who read for fun, who don't spend that much time in front of a computer...now they can sneak in a round or two of Angry Birds between chapters. And then there's developers, who will know that there's going to be a bunch of 7" (probably), 1366x768 tablets out there, and can use that as a baseline for designing their apps.
    Reply