Barnes & Noble Drops Nook HD and Nook HD+ Prices, Could Be More Than a Mother's Day Sale
Mother’s Day sales are already upon us, and predictably, some tablets and ereaders are on sale to entice buyers to make their moms really, really happy this year. Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, for example, is on sale through next weekend for $179 (down from $199) with a special checkout code, but Barnes & Noble will not be outdone. The company put its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets on sale for a limited time, too.
The 7-inch Nook HD is down to $149 (8GB) and $179 (16GB), while the 9-inch Nook HD+ is $179 (16GB) and $209 (32GB). Yes, the 16GB Nook HD is the same price as the 16GB Nook HD+. Go figure.
Although competing tablets sales around a holiday is nothing new, the price drop on the Nook tablets is notable because just days ago, B&N announced Google Play access on the devices in addition to support for Google services and apps including the Chrome browser, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, and so on. In other words, B&N added some serious value to its Nook devices and then promptly dropped the prices, too.
Perhaps the company is trying to flush its inventory in anticipation of a hardware upgrade soon and the Google additions were just fortunate timing, but B&N may also simply be making an aggressive play for more of the tablet market share. If that’s the case, the competitive pricing may stick around for a while. Whether Mother’s Day is the end of this excellent sale or just the beginning, the Nook HD and HD+ suddenly seem like a more compelling tablet option than they did on Thursday.
The 7-inch Nook HD is down to $149 (8GB) and $179 (16GB), while the 9-inch Nook HD+ is $179 (16GB) and $209 (32GB). Yes, the 16GB Nook HD is the same price as the 16GB Nook HD+. Go figure.
Although competing tablets sales around a holiday is nothing new, the price drop on the Nook tablets is notable because just days ago, B&N announced Google Play access on the devices in addition to support for Google services and apps including the Chrome browser, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, and so on. In other words, B&N added some serious value to its Nook devices and then promptly dropped the prices, too.
Perhaps the company is trying to flush its inventory in anticipation of a hardware upgrade soon and the Google additions were just fortunate timing, but B&N may also simply be making an aggressive play for more of the tablet market share. If that’s the case, the competitive pricing may stick around for a while. Whether Mother’s Day is the end of this excellent sale or just the beginning, the Nook HD and HD+ suddenly seem like a more compelling tablet option than they did on Thursday.
