Nook reader demand pushes shipments to Dec. 11
updated 08:25 am EST, Mon November 9, 2009
Barnes and Noble overwhelmed with orders
Barnes & Noble today alerted Nook buyers that new orders now won't ship until December 11th (subscription required). The delay from the original November 30th date follows a recent push back for some until December 7th and is credited by spokeswoman Ellen Keating to sales that have "surpassed our expectations." The book retailer hasn't said how many pre-orders it has taken.
The early anticipation potentially establishes Barnes & Noble as a significant competitor in e-book readers as the Amazon Kindle is the only other major e-book reader to have faced significant backlogs relating directly to demand. It points to a significant rise in demand for e-book readers that comes just as general electronics companies are also rumored to be entering the field, such as Apple's rumored tablet or the Microsoft Courier.
As a reading device, the Nook is particularly advanced as it will have both an e-paper display as well as a color touchscreen for navigation. It's one of the first based on a more sophisticated mobile OS, as it uses a custom version of Android, and will have both 3G and limited Wi-Fi to download books.
