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Nook Passes Kindle Sales in March
Well look at this: new kid on the book, Barnes & Noble's Nook ereader, just surpassed Amazon Kindle sales in March. Obviously the Nook is a bit newer than the Kindle and those who were going to buy a Kindle probably have already, but it also looks like B&N's retail network is also driving sales.
Digitimes reports that 53% of e-book readers shipped were Nooks while 1.43 million ereaders were sold in Q1 2010. They're estimating that total ereader sales will reach 11 million by year's end.
Barnes & Noble and Best Buy have teamed up to sell B&N's Nook ereader on April 18, just as we predicted. As the press release states, this is just in time for Mother's/Father's Day, graduation, and the Feasts of St. Apollonius the Apologist and St. Wicterp. The Nook will cost $259.99 and will be available in Best Buy stores.
There’s a new ereader in town, gals and pals. The iriver Story HD will soon be available at Target for $139.99. While by all accounts, it’s a fine piece of hardware — 7.3 ounces, first six-inch XGA e-ink screen, SD card slot, WiFi, six week battery life — it’s the Google Books integration that will likely spur sales. This might be the best anti-Kindle/Nook ereader on the market.
The holiday season appears to have treated Barnes & Noble well, thanks in part to a strong demand for the company’s eReader the NOOK. The company just issued a release stating that it sold its entire inventory of NOOKcolor and E-Ink devices over the holiday season.
I have egg on my face, hands, and in my hair. Last year I called a premature end to the ereader race, stating that the Kindle was first to market and therefore in first place. I’m pleased to report that I was wrong.
Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have downplayed actual e-reader device sales numbers, instead crowing about the number of e-books sold in the past year. This is an important distinction because it shows us a few things about the Nook/Kindle audience. First, e-readers (dedicated e-readers, mind you, not tablets) are popular with heavy readers and, as a corollary, most e-reader owners buy a lot of books.
Unsurprisingly, the fourth quarter is usually the best sales period for the Kindle (and most retail products), but it looks like this year will be especially strong as more consumers flock to e-books. After announcing a new e-book loan feature last week, Amazon is revealing a number of new Kindle stats today in time for the holiday shopping rush.
The full line of Nook wares are hitting Radio Shack stores and RadioShack.com beginning October 3. The Nook will join the Kindle and a dozen generic ereaders within the 3,000 Radio Shack locations and select franchises throughout the US. These stores will carry both the Nook Touch and the Nook Color along with a likely stunted line of accessories.
The only Larsson I’ve ever heard of is Henrik Larsson, so clearly I’m out of the loop with regards to this Stieg Larsson fellow. The Swedish author has become the first author to sell one million copies of his book(s) on the Amazon Kindle store. Amazon now calls him the first member of the imaginatively named Kindle Million Club.
There's no doubt about it: the iPad is the elephant in the ereader room but there's one thing I'm certain: it won't kill off the ebook readers. Amazon just took another length in the Kindle's already strong position on the ereader battlefield with the announcement of Kindle Apps for Tablet Computers.