@Scott, I would logically agree with you, but then I watch how kids are using iPhones. They do not use there phones for music--they still keep their music on iPods. Why? IDK. But it's worth noting.
Apple's education discounts are pretty worthless. The cheapest iPad from the regular Apple store is $399. The cheapest iPad from the education store? It's $399. You're better off buying a refurbished product than using the education discount, even the one for higher education.
@Scott,
Here's what I see
Old MSFT - used the OS to integrate and dominate. Stand-alone applications, even good ones (like WordPerfect) were destroyed.
New MSFT - missed the transition to Mobile. Now investing in stand-alone applications like book readers, which are doomed to be made irrelevant by integrated platforms from Apple and Google.
I'm not seeing how the book reader integrates into much. You can tell me how I'm wrong, but I hope we at least understand each other, 'cause you're pretty sharp.
PC
@Value Hiker
I agree. Competing with Apple is futile.
It's my opinion that keeping a standalone e-book reader is a death sentence.
Think of the MEGATREND in consumer devices: INTEGRATED FUNCTIONALITY.
Gaming -- standalone gamers getting nailed by gaming functionality moving into phones & Pads. Great example: Nintendo.
Phones -- Limited functionality Phone OSes replaced by multi-functionality OSes. Example: Nokia and Symbian OS.
SUCCESS: IPhone. OS that integrates imaging, gaming, communications, Web, e.t.c.
So what is the trend?
And what does it say for a standalone e-book reader?
Cost isn't really an issue because the costs of devices are generally coming down over time and everybody may end up buying a Pad or phone device anyway so you are really saving money by buying one "Super Device" rather than two special-purponse devices, yeah?
@PredictableChaos,
Not sure what you mean -- Microsoft created its huge Office franchise by adding applications, buying software companies, and integrating as much functionality as they could.
They weren't "on the wrong side," they actually made tons of money doing that and pretty much destroyed all the other applications vendors in the process (Novell, Corel, WordPerfect, e.t.c)
They have followed a similar strategy with XBox, building a platform and then gradually adding functionality, which has worked well over time.
So that's exactly my point -- it would seem logical that they would follow the path of integration and added functionality.
Re: Depends on strategy
Value Hiker
5/7/2012 4:56:37 PM
@Noreen, I am not sure the low price will work, Apple is usually quite generous on the discount to students and faculty, many times Apple just gave away products, like it gave free iPad to some schools at Palo Alto where Steve Jobs lived. Furthermore, even students are cash strapped, they are more willing to follow the trend due to the peer pressure.
Maybe. But there is the cost factor -- the Nook is significantly less than an iPad, which could help it gain traction among aleady cash strapped students.
Does it make any sense to have a standalone operating system designed for the purpose of being an e-book reader ?
No. Shouldn't need a special device just for reading a book.
Anybody remember WordPerfect? It was a stand-alone word processing program that Microsoft made irrelevant by including word processing as part of their operating system. It didn't matter that WordPerfect was actually a pretty good word processor. And it doesn't matter if the Nook is a pretty good reader.
Hmm... with their background, how does MSFT manage to get on the wrong side of these things?
Re: Depends on strategy
Value Hiker
5/7/2012 2:13:46 PM
In its darkest time of 90s, Apple still held a lion share of educational market. Considering Apple is now a juggernaut on tablet market, and Nook is a distant two even in the Android camp, I am less optimistic about the proposed marriage of Nook and Windows 8.
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