In what will surely be an attempt to give its fledgling Windows 8 devices a shot in the arm, Microsoft is reportedly offering $1 billion to buy Nook Media and remove Barnes & Noble from the partnership.
What's more, Nook Media is planning to get out of the hardware game altogether. By the end of the fiscal year in 2014, all Android-based readers will be discontinued, as Nook content transitions toward being distributed via apps on third-party devices. That could include Android slates created by other manufacturers, tablets like the iPad, or, if Microsoft does get involved, products like the Surface Pro 2 and Surface Mini.
The news comes courtesy of TechCrunch, which managed to get its hands on internal documents related to the matter. If Microsoft's purchase plans go through, the company would obtain the entire Nook digital service operation.
"A deal to buy the digital assets of Nook Media is the natural next step for Microsoft, which first announced a plan to work with Barnes & Noble on its Nook devices and content in April 2012, ponying up $300 million at the time to help," TechCrunch states. "That plan included an additional $180 million advance to develop content for its Windows 8 devices — which Nook has been doing."
One of the biggest criticisms of Windows 8 in general is that the app store is extremely lacking compared to iOS and Android. Bringing the entire Nook library into the fold would be a great addition, and it would allow Microsoft to create an equivalent to iBooks that it's nowhere close to having currently. If Nook Media was already working on Windows 8 development, that could mean more of a presence on Microsoft's next-gen tablets, like a potential Surface Pro 2, even before a purchase takes place.
Purchasing Nook would not only let Microsoft enter the publishing business and ensure that Windows 8 development goes forward, it would give the company a chance to boost its bookstore prospects on its Windows 8 tablets. With many expecting Microsoft to unveil a Surface Pro 2 and Surface Mini tablet in June, such an acquisition would enable us to peek into some of what the company is planning, going forward.
