I don't think Barnes & Noble is being anti-consumer or has a dim view of its customers. I think it's just a sign of the times. Every company wants us to use its app. It used to be I could simply text when picking up an order at a restaurant, grocery store or other retailer. Now more and more places require an app.
(And then there were the really dark ages when I had to--gasp--actually call a number and talk to a person. Or worse, actually get out of my car and go inside!
).
Most members here are advanced users. The average ebook reader is probably using the Kindle app on their phone.
I know I'm an outlier here. I don't download books, remove DRM, reformat and all that. I'm primarily a library user; when I do purchase books, I read them and then archive them. There's a certain comfort that my purchased B&N books are available on my PC, but this isn't going to change my habits. I'll still buy Nook books when I get B&N gift cards.
Since I am an outlier, I'm not all up to date on things. But hasn't Amazon also updated their app to make downloading and removing DRM a pain without jumping through a bunch of hoops? I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually stop offering a Windows app.
Hmm, come to think of it, wasn't there some hubbub a few weeks back about the US government shutting down pirate book sites? Might these changes be the result of pressure from the publishing industry to keep books from being pirated? Or at least make it much harder for books to end up in the wild? And honest users are caught in the fallout?