Microsoft is thinking of buying the digital assets of Nook Media, the partnership between Barnes & Noble and Microsoft focusing on digital reading and digital education, according to a report in TechCrunch.
Microsoft is offering to pay $1 billion, according to the TechCrunch report, which also says “Nook Media plans to discontinue its Android-based tablet business by the end of its 2014 fiscal year as it transitions to a model where Nook content is distributed through apps on ‘third-party partner’ devices.” TechCrunch attributed the information to internal documents that it obtained and said those documents were not clear on whether the third-party devices would be Microsoft’s or not.
But given that Microsoft has confirmed it is working with manufacturers to make smaller Windows-based touch devices — devices that would presumably be smaller, lighter and thus friendlier to e-reading — it would make sense for the company to want to acquire digital content for such devices.
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