Nook HD and HD+ tablets get massive, inventory-shifting UK price cut

Nook HD and HD+ tablets get massive, inventory-shifting UK price cut
Good deals to be had on Nook slates

Fancy a cheap tablet/ereader for your summer holidays? Well they don't come at much better value than the newly reduced Barnes & Noble Nook HD and Nook HD+ devices.

As part of the Get London Reading initiative, the company has cut the price of the 8GB Nook HD to just £99 (from £149), while the 16GB version is down to £129, knocking £60 off the RRP.

The 16GB iteration of the 9-inch Nook HD+ is now £149 from £229, while the 32GB tablet offers the biggest saving of all at £179 from £269.

Barnes & Noble says the price cuts, which span all retailers at which the devices are sold, will be for a limited time.

Charitable or opportunistic?

However, as charitable as it seems to encourage greater literacy by facilitating cheaper ebook readers, there are other factors at play here, mainly B&N's admission it cannot compete with Amazon or Apple.

The Nook division recently posted big losses and, as a result, Barnes & Noble has said it'll no longer be manufacturing its own tablets, instead licensing the name out to third parties.

This move allows the company to shift some of the outstanding Nook inventory under the face-saving guide of a charity event, rather than openly market a fire sale on its Nook tablets.

We wouldn't be at all surprised if the tablets stayed at this price from here on in, despite B&N's assertions that its a limited time deal. Time will tell.

Via Inquirer

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.