New York – Barnes & Noble will team up with Samsung for the planned August launch of co-branded tablet based on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 4 series and customized with B&N software to access the bookseller’s digital books and periodicals.
The book retailer, which did not introduce new tablets for last year’s fourth-quarter selling season, said it is teaming up with Samsung to reduce costs associated with developing and producing its own Nook tablets. B&N will continue to offer its Nook GlowLight e-reader.
The decision is part of the bookseller’s efforts to rationalize its Nook e-book and e-reader/tablet business by eliminating the costs associated with designing and manufacturing its own tablets. “Working with Samsung on co-branded tablets will allow the company to reduce its exposure to the substantial cost structure and other financial commitments that accompany ownership of the hardware production aspects of the Nook tablet business,” the company said. As a result, B&N “will be able to focus on its proven expertise in acquiring and delivering the best digital reading experience to grow Nook content sales.
Samsung’s Tab 4 series consists of three models with 10.1-inch, 8-inch and 7-inch screen sizes with 16:1 aspect ratio, but the companies said they expect to introduce only the 7-inch version in the U.S. in early August. The co-branded tablets will be displayed along with Nook e-readers at Barnes & Noble’s 663 bookstores in the U.S. and online at BN.com.