Nook and Kindle Price Drops Make E-Readers More Affordable

If you didn't get dear old Dad an e-reader for Father's Day, now is your chance to grab an e-reader like nook or Kindle at a nice price reduction. Barnes & Noble announced today that they will be rolling out a Wi-Fi reader at just $149. The Wi-Fi ebook reader has wi-fi capability, but not the 3G network that allows users to wirelessly buy books from virtually anywhere.

In addition, Barnes & Noble dropped the cost of their 3G nook to $199, which is $50 less than the price was just yesterday. Amazon soon stepped up the e-reader price war by dropping the price on their immensely popular Kindle to $189. This means that the Kindle, with 3G, is just $40 more than Barnes & Noble's Wi-Fi nook and $10 cheaper than the 3G nook.

Wi-Fi nook not yet available

Barnes & Noble teases the public again by announcing its new Wi-Fi ebook reader priced modestly at around $150, but then goes on to say that it is not yet available. As one who pre-ordered a nook last November, only to have the date of delivery pushed back twice, I hope that Barnes & Noble has learned its lesson and lives up to anticipated delivery dates.

Their press release states that the Wi-Fi version will begin shipping later this week and likely will be in stores for purchase in select Barnes & Nobles and Best Buys later this month. The 3G nook is available for immediate purchase via BN.com's site. I did check Bestbuy.com's site and they do offer both versions of the nook for sale at the new prices, with the $149 version being for sale online only.

The big difference: The Wi-Fi version will connect free at AT&T hotspots; however, if you take a look at the hotspot map on AT&T's website, those west of the Mississippi may want to part with the extra $50 to ensure ease of connectivity if they specifically want to buy a nook.

Should you buy now or wait for a better deal?

This price drop is spectacular. When the nook first came out, it was priced the same as an Amazon Kindle at $259. Now that Amazon has thrown down the gauntlet by pricing their ebook reader lower than Barnes & Noble's 3G nook and just $40 more than the Wi-Fi version (which would be less enticing to those who are quite far from hotspots), Kindle could come out a big winner.

Those consumers who had been eying a nook or Kindle at $249 will find the new pricing much more palatable. The jump from a $149 Wi-Fi nook to a Kindle is less than the recent price drop, so consumers may not mind spending a little more to get the better connectivity that 3G offers.

Considering that Amazon dropped its price lower than the nook only after nook launched it's $149 Wi-Fi version, I don't expect prices to drop lower soon. If you want an ebook reader, now is certainly a good time to buy.

Sources:

Personal experience: nook user
Barnes & Noble press release, 6/21/2010
Amazon Press release, 6/21/2010
AT&T Hot Spot Map