To differentiate itself, will B&N move to Microsoft OS.
The competition for 7 inch tablets continues to escalate. We know that Apple is going to announce the iPad Mini in the next few months. At least that is the rumor which is going around and has been pretty much accepted as fact with a competitive price. Barnes and Noble has been completing against Amazon with the two going up against each other in a great market and price point. The advantage that Barnes and Noble has is the brick and mortar store fronts that Amazon does not have. So what else can they do to have themselves viewed as different from Amazon when it comes to tablets?
Well, it appear that rumors are circulating of a new OS for the Nook tablet line in the future. At the moment, both companies are relying on versions of the Google Android OS to power their hand held devices. Amazon has heavily modified the version of Android they are running and have locked themselves into the for the future. Barnes and Noble has not done that and as a result, making a change for them would be far easier. And therefore the rumor mill has started with the possibility they are considering a move to use the Windows 8 OS to power their next tablet.
Much of the rumors about Windows 8 running on a future tablet from Barnes and Noble come from the investment of $605 million in the company by Microsoft. It seems logical to move to the next step of Windows 8 running on the Nook Tablet. Rumors are going around that the next Microsoft OS will show up on the next tablet which could be announced towards the end of the month. More than likely, it will be released in October. If it does, it will have an impact on the market and be very positive for Barnes and Noble.
If the Nook tablet does launch after Microsoft releases Windows 8, they are going to be able to tap into all the marketing which will be promoting the launch. And it the rumors are correct, the Nook tablet will take a leap up in its market share in the 7 inch tablet market. A big question we have not seen is how this might be viewed in comparison to Microsoft's coming surface tablet? Microsoft is going to put a lot behind that new tablet.
Given that all of this is a rumor, it is hard to know until things are set in concrete and officially announced. We will have to wait and see.
Would you be more interested in a Nook tablet running Windows 8?
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