David Rothman tipped me to this one. The Ebook Reader is reporting that the Nook for PC and Mac download links have been removed from the “Nook Mobile Apps” page.
I just checked, and yes, they really are gone. The only PC-based Nook app currently available on that page is the Windows 8 version, which won’t help very many people.
As the article notes, you can still read Nook books on your PC using the browser-based reader, but that doesn’t allow you to download books for archival (or DRM-removal) purposes. It’s also not helpful for indie and self-published authors who want to check the formatting of their books for Nook (without actually needing to buy a Nook). I found use of the Nook for PC program to be vital when I was fixing the formatting of my non-fiction book. Kindle handled it well. Nook gave me fits until I figured out how to properly format lists.
Apparently, B&N Customer service isn’t giving any reasons. We don’t know if it’s temporary or permanent, although I’d assume permanent until we learn otherwise.
Fortunately, you can still get them, using these links
If you buy Nook books and want a backup or the ability to remove DRM on them, I’d suggest downloading them now, while you still can. I grabbed a copy of the install files, just to have them.
Thanks, David!
Nook for Mac is still listed (and searchable from any search engine) direct from iTunes.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nook-by-barnes-noble/id373582546
nook study seems to work, even for non-study books.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookstudy/download/index.asp
The main reason I wanted to install this app is because I don’t like to be tied down to one proprietary device that doesn’t always carry the books I want to read, hence I would be stuck with a very limited range of works. And since proprietary devices also don’t allow for you to install other programs so that you can read from different sources. I have bought a generic tablet so that I can install multiple reader programs so I have a choice of where I find my reading material. I painfully found this out when I bought a kobo vox for my husband for Christmas, my son got him a B&N gift card, (Kobo was taken over by B&N) when I went to “buy” books for my husband using the gift card found out it was interchangeable nor was it fixable so the gift card was useless for what my son had gotten it for. I was not happy, complained to B&N & they acted like “too bad, so sad” not our problem.
Kobo has not been taken over by Barnes & Noble.
Kobo has not been “taken over” by anyone. They’re alive and well and putting out some outstanding ereaders, a new one just a couple months ago. Ask my credit card. It knows Kobo’s just fine.
BORDERS was “taken over” by Barnes and Noble a long time ago. Not the same company as Kobo.mNot even close.
Robbi: You might want to look into the Calibre e-book converter, which has plug-ins available for removing DRM from proprietary e-books so that they can be read on any device. A lot of Amazon, B&N, etc. e-reader users swear by it.
For backing up your books, you can directly download them from within your Nook library on B&N’s website. The Nook for Mac was left to languish for years as a rebranded warder app, and then when they did finally redo it, it crashed frequently. So I can’t say I’ll miss it.
You really should correct this article: the “My Nook Library” section of the barnes and noble website still allows you to download your books, as it always has. With DRM, of course, but that almost goes without saying and is hardly an insurmountable obstacle.