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Nook & Kindle eReader Price Wars Begin

By | June 21, 2010 | 1 comment
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The introduction of the iPad has impacted many different markets and it looks like the eBook Readers are feeling the heat. Whether the iPad pushed it or not, both Barnes and Noble and Amazon slashed prices on their version of the eBook Reader.

Barnes and Noble announced the $149 Wi-Fi only Nook, as well as a 3G model price drop to $199 today.  The new Wi-Fi model differs only in connectivity – it includes all the features of the 3G but at a lower price point.  In addition to the introduction of the Wi-Fi model, B&N also released a Nook software update.  With this update, users will receive free access to AT&T’s entire Wi-Fi network, additional features and performance enhancements. Expect a full roll out of the new Nook later this summer.

After the B&N announcement, Amazon followed suit by cutting the price of the Kindle from $259 to $189.  Priced between the two B&N Nook models, it’ll be interesting to see how the numbers shake out.  Amazon’s Kindle offers 3G wireless connectivity, no annual contacts, no monthly connection fee and no Wi-Fi hotspot requirements.

With two million iPads sold and counting, the iPad is almost certainly affecting sales of the eReader market.  At $199 for the 3G Nook and $189 for the Kindle, the low end 3G iPad is still significantly more expensive, however users get so many more capabilities.

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  • http://ebookreader-ben.com/blog Ben Lee

    More interesting news with Borders including a $20 gift card with every purchase of their Kobo. This has been an exciting few hours for eReaders I must say.

    As much as I think the Kobo is a pretty decent eReader, I don’t think think the $20 is really going to put it over the top either. Kobo doesn’t have half the name recognition of either Amazon or Barnes and Noble. People basically associate the words Amazon and Barnes and Noble with the word book. That aside, I also think the Kindle and Nook are offering very solid packages themselves and I would probably go with the Nook for a low end offering, even given the $20 gift card. But at the current prices, any true reader will find it hard to feel TOO bad about any one device. All three are strong choices to begin with and now they’ve made the decision dead simple. I put a longer discussion on what I think the future looks like on my blog. Check it out there: http://ebookreader-ben.com/borders-enters-ereader-wars-with-20-gift-card/