Barnes and Noble is starting to send out hints that they are getting set to release a new Nook, and since they already released a new E Ink device the year, the Nook Touch, that means the time is drawing near to upgrade the Nook Color.
The Wall Street Journal posted an article and video (embedded below) this morning about Barnes and Noble announcing this past Friday that they are going to be doubling the size of their Nook boutiques in forty of their most productive stores.
Nook boutiques are the displays that Barnes & Noble uses in their stores to demonstrate the Nook ereaders and Nook accessories. Currently these displays occupy about 1,000 square feet per store.
It certainly doesn’t make any sense to double the size of Nook boutiques unless B&N has a new Nook incoming. The rumor mill has the new Nook set to be announced a week from Monday, eight days before the Kindle Fire starts shipping.
I have a feeling that the Nook Color 2 is going to give the Kindle Fire a run for its money. Amazon left out a few key features that Barnes and Noble could majorly capitalize on. Sure Barnes an Noble doesn’t have the digital content that Amazon offers, the videos and music and cloud storage, but if B&N can put out a superior device for the same price, the Nook Color 2 could be hugely successful.
I’m anxious to find out what B&N has come up with in the Nook Color 2. I’ve held off getting an NC sticking with my Nook STR but this could change things for me.
It puzzles me why so many people would order a Kindle Fire without knowing any of the specifications and not having seen any technical reviews let alone being hands on with it. Obviously, their buying habits for electronic devices are very different from mine.