If Amazon (AMZN) was comfortable with its spot atop the e-reader market, it just got a wakeup call from Barnes & Noble (BKS). The brick-and-mortar book retailer's e-reader, the Nook, which hasn't even hit stores yet, is in pre-order nirvana right now. The first run for the Nook occurred at the end of October (the product was introduced on October 20). These buyers were told the reader would ship on November 30. High demand resulted in backorders, so the next wave of pre-orders was scheduled to ship on December 7. Now, a third group will have to wait until December 11.
This product is on fire, and it still isn't even on shelves yet.
Mary Ellen Keating, a spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble wouldn't reveal how many of these devices have been pre-ordered, but she did say, "Demand for the product in our stores and online has surpassed our expectations." She also noted, "We are working hard to meet demand for the holidays."
The total e-book/e-reader market in the United States is expected to hit 3 million this year, according to a report by Forrester Research, with 30% of that coming in November and December. The research firm expects Barnes & Noble to ride the Nook into a strong market position next year, with Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst at the company, saying, "We see Barnes & Noble playing a much larger role in 2010." To score a victory with the product, she adds, customer orders will have to be filled by Christmas.
The device runs on the Android operating system by Google (GOOG) and uses technology from E-Ink for the e-paper display.
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