Barnes & Noble: Nook deliveries delayed until January

by Stevie Smith - Nov 23 2009, 11:35

The surging appeal and popularity of portable electronic book readers, such as the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle, has seemingly taken Barnes & Noble by surprise, after its recently unveiled Nook device was hit by demand-related delivery delays.

Issuing its advisory at the tail end of last week, the heavyweight American bookseller has said anyone placing an order for a Nook unit as of November 20 is unlikely to receive their shiny new handheld platform before January 04 of 2010.

“While we increased production based on the high consumer interest, we've sold out of our initial nook allotment available for delivery before the holidays,” outlined the New York-based company in an official statement.

In a move to hopefully allay any customer disappointment – or the likelihood of prospective buyers seeking a rival device – Barnes & Noble has said it will issue a “Nook holiday certificate” alongside every order so that the recipient knows their electronic reader will be with them in early 2010. 

Only last week, Sony Corp. revealed excessive consumer demand could potentially delay the holiday delivery of pre-order placed for its new Reader 'Daily Edition' eBook device.

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