I spent a great deal of time before and during CES checking out the exhibitor list and deciding what companies I wanted to visit. While I didn’t think they were doing anything special, I did note that Barnes and Noble was on the exhibitor list, and made a mental note to drop by and see what they had to say.
Apparently, though, B&N is here in their traditional, not technological, capacity. They are here solely to sell Gary Shapiro’s “Ninja Innovation” title (Gary is head of CEA, the company behind CES). No display NOOKs. Not even a brochure. At CES. The world’s biggest electronics show.
The NOOK line hasn’t been refreshed in a while, and there’s not much new to show. But at the same time, they are coming off a bruising and nasty holiday season that left them with extremely disappointing NOOK sales. Maybe getting the NOOK name in front of the thousands of people passing that booth might help? Just a touch?