Nook tablets see price cuts in competitive market

Nook comparison
The race for tablet supremacy drops consumer values

The Nook Tablet and Nook Color have received lower price points this weekend, likely because of the success of Google's Nexus 7 success and Amazon Kindle Fire 2 speculation.

Three Nook models are now offered at lower prices. The 16GB Nook Tablet is seeing the biggest push at $199, or a $50 discount.

The 8GB Nook Tablet has gone done $20 to $179 and the Nook Color now costs $149, also dropped by $20.

Sales are always good news for consumers, but the better news is that downward-facing price trends mean more to come across the tablet and e-reader market.

A Kindle competition

The discount move from Barnes & Noble is probably an attempt to edge towards the top of a bargain-price tablet dog-pile.

Between the Nexus 7 (now performing quite well in sales) and the Kindle Fire, consumers delving into tablets cheaper than the iPad are bombarded with high-quality, affordable options for Android devices.

The Nexus 7 represents the premium end of this spectrum, currently the only out of the three tablets mentioned to offer a resolution with up to 216 pixels per inch.

However, rumors have been circulating about a possible 2012 release date and enhanced specs for the Kindle Fire 2, a device that's looking to rival the Nexus 7 in resolution while staying around the $200 price point.

That's not to mention, of course, the Sony Xperia Mint, the Blackberry Playbook, or any of the myriad Windows 8 tablets also on the horizon.

To call this upcoming holiday season a bit crowded in the mobile tech market might be premature, but signs like the Nook price drops indicate a busy future for tablet retailers.

Via CNET, TechCrunch and Barnes & Noble