Barnes & Noble sends invites for Nook event November 7
updated 11:40 am EDT, Mon October 31, 2011
Nov 7 NYC event likely to show Nook Color 2
Barnes & Noble sent invitations to Electronista and other members of the press for its widely rumored November 7 event. The gathering will follow the bookseller's tradition of holding events in its Union Square bookstore in New York City. Nothing is mentioned of the contents other than the Nook logo and promises of a "very special announcement."
The timing supports rumors of a Nook Color sequel or higher-end model arriving at the same time. An upgrade to the former would likely be meant to head off the Amazon Kindle Fire and could jump to a dual-core processor, Android 2.3, or a new design. If a genuine second model, it might be the rumored Acclaim and cost $349, possibly getting a larger screen and more features.
The new Nook, if accurate, will arrive in a much tougher climate, where the Kindle Fire will cost $199 and already costs less than the year-old Nook Color. Barnes & Noble likewise has to face a much tougher climate now that iPads and other tablets are much larger presences. Apple's iBookstore is still smaller than the Amazon or Barnes & Noble stores, but at 180 million downloads is now a significant presence.
