New Nook tablets were unveiled today by Barnes & Noble in New York. Three models were announced: the Nook Tablet ($249), the Nook Color ($199) and the Nook Simple Touch ($99). The launch occurred only weeks after Amazon launched their new Kindle Fire, and it seems like this is developing into a three horse race between iPad, Nook and Kindle Fire.
Barnes & Noble’s structure is a pretty intelligent one: they are going after every single category of tablet. The Simple Touch is aimed at the Kindle-type tablet, the Color at the Kindle Fire-type tablet and the NOOK Tablet at the iPad. They can therefore compete in every price bracket, and hopefully for them it will be successful.
Whether these new tablets are “iPad killers” is a different question. Many tablets have been branded this way and been total failures (HP Touchpad, Playbook etc..) but I think that with the price difference between the iPad and the new Nooks, it could become interesting to see which way consumers go, especially in these tough economic times. The Kindle Fire is another option which could tempt many. I personally like the look of the new Barnes & Noble lineup, but it will ultimately be the survival of the fittest.