With sales for its Nook tablets hitting an all-time high for the fourth quarter of 2011, Barnes and Noble is considering spinning-off the popular e-reader as a business line.
“We see substantial value in what we’ve built with our Nook business in only two years, and we believe it’s the right time to investigate our options to unlock that value,” said CEO William Lynch.
Barnes and Noble expects he digital content sales for 2012 to be around $450 million, with the annualized forecast between $700 million and $750 million.
The company also said it is in discussions with strategic partners to expand the Nook business internationally.
If Barnes & Noble goes under we will be left to buy on e-books begiining the end of physical media
I love the original Nook (the e-reader, not the tablet). Unfortunately I HATE the new Nook, so much as I look for a used original when look for an additional one. The lack of physical buttons, and the lack of a lower bezel area makes it hard to hold, and “swiping” the turn the pages is “cute” and more like a real book, it’s an e-reader, gimme a button! Either way, i hope they are successful, I won’t buy the Amazon, proprietary crap.