Prices Slashed on Amazon, Nook E-Readers

Pressure from iPad leads to $60 and $70 savings
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 21, 2010 6:57 PM CDT
Prices Slashed on Amazon, Nook E-Readers
An attendee at Amazon.com Inc.'s annual shareholders meeting holds a Kindle book-reading device at a display outside the meeting hall, Tuesday, May 25, 2010, in Seattle.   (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A price war is heating up in the electronic reader market, as Amazon cut the price of its Kindle e-reader below $200 today, just after Barnes & Noble did the same with its competing Nook device. The Kindle's price was slashed by $70 to $189, just a few hours after the Nook price tag shrank by $60 to $199. The popularity of the iPad, along with a number of other tablet computers soon to be available, are seen as pressuring e-reader makers to lower prices.

Amazon has lowered the Kindle's price several times since the e-reader with a grayscale screen debuted in 2007 at $399. The Nook was released late last year for $259. Both e-readers are creeping closer to the price of bookstore chain Borders Group Inc.'s new $149 Kobo e-reader, which will be available in July and work with Borders' online bookstore. (More Amazon stories.)

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