Barnes & Noble is expected to unveil its response to Amazon.com’s Kindle Fire tablet next Monday, as the all-important holiday shopping season kicks off.
The largest specialty retailer invited journalists and analysts to a news conference for a “very special announcement” that day.
The
invitation comes after Amazon.com launched its Kindle Fire in late
September. The e-book reader was upgraded to be able to surf the web,
stream movies and TV and support thousands of apps in addition to being
an e-book reader, and is priced at $199. It starts shipping Nov.15.
Apple Inc.‘s iPad has been the dominant tablet so far. It starts at $499.
Barnes
& Noble did not comment on what it would be revealing. Currently,
the Nook comes in several iterations. A black-and-white touch screen
reader dubbed The Simple Touch Reader starts at $139 and its Nook Color
reader, which has a web browser and supports apps and email, starts at
$249.
While nothing has been confirmed, Barnes
& Noble could be revealing a price cut on the Nook Color, to at
least match the Kindle Fire’s $199 price tag, said Simba Information
senior trade analyst Michael Norris.
Another possibility: more capabilities added to the Nook Color, such as video streaming, he said.
The event will begin at 9:30 ET Monday morning.
Source: The Associated Press
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