The E-book Opportunity
"It's about customer choice," Gottlieb says, "and we recognize that for some customers, an iPad is a terrific experience. We recognize it's not so much a case of, 'Is it iPad or Nook or Android?' For us, it's about the reading experience."
As the e-book market matures, the focus has begun to shift to consumer niches or levels of functionality perceived as underdeveloped, such as the education market. Barnes & Noble is renewing its push into digital education with NookStudy, an integrated software product allowing students to consolidate e-textbooks, class materials and notes into one interactive platform on their computers. A portable e-reader also designed to meet the specific needs of college students, the dual-screen Kno, will debut this fall.