Breaking News: Barnes and Noble bailing on the Nook?

Droewyn · #1 03-08-2016, 01:02 PM

The first panicked news articles announced that B&N was closing its Nook store and users had until 3/15/16 to back up their purchased content or lose it.

Somewhat later, it seems like the situation is just a bit different.

In the US, the digital bookstore and magazine store will remain open and available. The Nook App Store and Nook Video Store will be closing on 3/15, so this should only affect you if you have a Nook HD or one of the other B&N branded tablets and (for whatever reason) use the in-house app store instead of Google Play.

All services are closing in the UK, however, so if you've purchased any Nook books from the castles that we all know you live in, you need to back that shit up IMMEDIATELY. The best way to do this is by downloading the Nook for PC app.

So... yeah. Things aren't as dire (for Americans) as they first appeared. But this news still doesn't bode well for the future prospects of Nook owners. B&N has been limping along for the last few years, and this move does rather look like they're circling the wagons. Just because they're not shuttering their digital store next week doesn't mean it won't happen next month.

I wrote a set of instructions for creating DRM-free backup copies of Nook (and Kindle) ebooks a while back. They're step-by-step and geared toward someone with a pretty basic level of computer literacy -- you need to be able to download and install Windows applications and navigate to folders within My Documents. Now seems like a really good time to get a backup archive in order, regardless of where you live.

Zef · #2 03-08-2016, 01:10 PM

Well, dammit. I JUST traded in my Nook HD+ for the slightly smaller, yet several dozen times more powerful, Nook-branded Galaxy Tab. I hadn't gotten around to re-downloading all my books (not that I had bought that many) but I guess I'll be spending a couple afternoons doing that. I assume the built-in Nook app will still work for reading and managing even if the services are shut down, and that the Google Play version will also still have access to my books/magazines after March 15, no? (BTW, both links lead to your backup guide.)

It's a shame. I haven't looked into it, but I'm pretty sure B&N subsidizes a good chunk of the Samsung Nooks, hence the lower prices. Even back in 2012, the HD+ was considerably cheaper than most tablets out there, and just as decent. I guess the gamble didn't pay off :/

Droewyn · #3 03-08-2016, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zef

Well, dammit. I JUST traded in my Nook HD+ for the slightly smaller, yet several dozen times more powerful, Nook-branded Galaxy Tab. I hadn't gotten around to re-downloading all my books (not that I had bought that many) but I guess I'll be spending a couple afternoons doing that. I assume the built-in Nook app will still work for reading and managing even if the services are shut down, and that the Google Play version will also still have access to my books/magazines after March 15, no? (BTW, both links lead to your backup guide.)

It's a shame. I haven't looked into it, but I'm pretty sure B&N subsidizes a good chunk of the Samsung Nooks, hence the lower prices. Even back in 2012, the HD+ was considerably cheaper than most tablets out there, and just as decent. I guess the gamble didn't pay off :/

I could be wrong, but based on my understanding of the situation your reading experience shouldn't change, and any Nook Store apps you bought previously should remain on the device and functional, you just will need to go to Google Play if you want to get any new apps. I think?

I have an older HD+ that I really only use for Plex or comics reading, and I just replaced my Glow with a Kindle Voyage in February. It's sad; the Nook really was a fantastic device until B&N gave up on it.