When comparing Waterstone's vs Barnes & Noble NOOK Books, the Slant community recommends Barnes & Noble NOOK Books for most people. In the question“What are the best eBook stores?” Barnes & Noble NOOK Books is ranked 9th while Waterstone's is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose Barnes & Noble NOOK Books is:
The NOOK store allows users to send eBooks as gifts to their friends and family.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro eBooks offered are Adobe Digital Editions compliant
Waterstone's eBook store sells .epubs that are encoded with Adobe Difgital Editions DRM. This allows the .epubs purchased to be used with the Adobe Digital Editions application that can then transfer purchased .epubs to ADE compliant eReaders.
Pro Generally cheaper than WHSmith
For those that are stuck using UK eBook stores it woul appear as though Waterstone's has better prices than WHSmith.
Pro Send eBooks as gift
The NOOK store allows users to send eBooks as gifts to their friends and family.
Pro NOOK app
B&N offers a NOOK app for Android, iOS and Windows 8 in their respective stores. This allows user to shop and read their eBooks natively on those operating systems.
Pro Self publishing
B&N offers a way for users to self publish their eBooks to the NOOK eBook store, the service is called NOOK Press.
Cons
Con UK only store
Waterstone's is a UK only store, so those outside the region are out of luck purchasing from them.
Con Some eBooks more expensive than paper books
Sadly Waterstone's does not have as much pull with publishers as Amazon so there are more high priced eBooks on their store.
Con Sells Kindle devices but its eBook store is .epub only (which are incompatible)
Something of an odd predicament in that Waterstone's has a contract with Amazon to sell Kindle devices even though they only sell .epub eBooks on their Waterstone's branded eBook store.
Con Uses a special DRM on their eBooks, any eBook purchased from B&N is not Adobe Digital Edition compliant
While B&N does use and read .epub on their devices, any eBook purchased from the B&N eBook store will not be able to be used in other .epub readers unless the DRM is stripped from said eBook.
Con No legacy Windows app or Mac app
While B&N use to offer a PC and Mac app for the desktop, they pulled support officially in 2013.
Con Higher prices then competition
Part of the reason B&N is having so much trouble with the NOOK brand currently and most likely part of its decision to separate itself from it by spinning it into its own company is that since the demolishing of agency pricing they are unable to compete on prices.
Con B&N not confident in NOOK brand
B&N will be spinning its NOOK division into a separate company, which does not show much faith in their own brand. What's worse is that this show of uncertainty of wanting to separate from the failing device and it's eBook store will only just further distance the customers from the NOOK. Being that their eBooks have a special DRM scheme that does not allow their .epubs to work in other device, current users better hope this new company does not fold or they will be out of their entire NOOK eBook library.