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Microsoft buying Barnes & Noble's Nook Media? Microsoft insider says no

An anonymous Microsoft source calls talk about Microsoft planning to buy the Nook Media branch of Barnes & Noble 'nothing more than a rumor.'

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Brendan McDermid/Reuters
After a story was posted refuting rumors of Microsoft buying Barnes & Noble's Nook Media, B&N stock fell again.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

Rumors that Microsoft was planning to purchase Barnes & Noble’s Nook Media caused B&N stock to rise and some in the book industry to wonder what this would mean for one of the last remaining big bookstore chains.

But the website Insider Monkey is now quoting someone they cite as “a highly placed source inside Microsoft” who says that the story of a possible deal is not true. 

“This deal was nothing more than a rumor,” says the source, according to Insider Monkey. “Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) will not come out and deny or confirm for legal reasons, but the company has no intention of acquiring the NOOK unit.”

According to Insider Monkey, the source told them that because Nook uses Android software, it would not be possible for the Nook to be used with Windows 8.

B&N stock fell 9.5 percent after the story was posted, according to Shelf Awareness.

So for the moment, the future of Nook Media – the portion of Barnes & Noble that focuses on the Nook and its digital services such as tablets, e-books, and e-readers – remains in flux.

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