Microsoft announces $300 million strategic partnership with Barnes & Noble

Today Microsoft and Barnes & Noble have announced what they’re calling a “strategic partnership” in which Microsoft invested a whopping $300 million. So what will Microsoft be getting for their money? We all know that Microsoft is launching their Windows 8 platform later this year and it is expected to not only be a desktop operating system, but one for tablets as well, and thanks to this new partnership, Windows 8 users can expect to see a NOOK app for Windows 8 which could be Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s iBooks and provide users with an alternative to Amazon’s Kindle. Given Microsoft’s reach and influence and the fact that Barnes & Noble has long been one of Amazon’s fiercest rivals, it looks as though this new partnership could give Amazon a run for their money. This partnership will also spawn a new subsidiary in which Barnes & Noble will hold the majority share at 82.4% while Microsoft will own the remaining 17.6%. It will be interesting to see what else might come out of this new partnership, so stay tuned for the updates. [Press release]