Barnes and Noble has confirmed in a written statement to Good e-Reader, that the company has officially suspended support for its dedicated Nook for PC and Nook for Mac. This will prevent any new downloads of the software from their main website, but current versions can still be used.
Nook for PC and Mac have proven to be fairly popular for readers who want to buy ebooks on their computer and read them there. This particular base of readers might not have a smartphone or tablet that they use as a dedicated e-reader.
The nation’s largest bookseller is encouraging all users to gravitate towards its HTML5 Cloud based reader. This has actually been around for awhile, and it lets users access all of their purchased content. There aren’t a ton of advanced features, but you can adjust the size of the font, change the font completely and share the details of the book via social media. You can access Nook for Web by visiting the main website and logging into your account HERE.
Major ebook re-sellers are tending to shy away from dedicated e-reading apps designed to work for the PC and MAC. Kobo, Amazon, and now Barnes and Noble have all created online reading solutions that have been designed to be scalable. Instead of constantly updating the dedicated software, B&N simply makes changes to the online reading projects, which are instantly pushed out with no downloads or upgrades. These online Cloud Readers were designed to not only work on your home computer, but can also be accessed on your iPad, smartphone, or Android tablet.
Cloud Readers are the future of e-reading. Initially they were all designed to circumvent Apple’s 30% royalty on each in-app purchase on iOS. This is why if you download any mainstream app from Sony, B&N, Kobo, or Amazon, you can’t actually buy ebooks via the app. Instead, all of these companies recommend you use their cloud reading software via Safari. When you make a purchase, you can read the book instantly or have it delivered to your dedicated reading app, which has more advanced features.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
