B&N ships over 500,000 Nook Colors per month

An interview with Publisher's Weekly's Person of the Year, Barnes & Noble chairman Len Reggio, has revealed that 18,000 Nook Color devices are made every day. The figure represents 547,500 per month on average. Riggio is proud of the Color, as it's the first device in the company's history that offered a leap in technology compared to competitors.

He also expected demand to grow in 2011 but fall off by 2012. Manufacturing enough devices to meet demand for the 2010 holiday season will also prove to be a challenge.

The figure is well below that for the iPad, which sells at a rate of at least 1.4 million per month, although only some of those are used for reading. Amazon has never published its Kindle numbers other than to say that "millions" of readers exist. It currently has the lead in US e-book sales and may have the device lead among dedicated e-readers.

Riggio is a devoted bookseller and said he loves books and selling them. A Barnes & Noble committee will soon meet and decide upon the future of the company, with a sale being an option. Riggio said he is interested in being part of any group that considers buying the company. He expected a decision will be made during the first quarter of next year.

By Electronista Staff