A leak from Barnes & Noble's inventory system is likely to have confirmed rumors of an entry level Nook coming by the end of spring. The listing for a "Nook WiFi" shows it shipping for $149 on June 23. Not much else is detailed by Engadget's insider, but prior leaks had it stripping out 3G to fall below the regular Nook's $249 asking price.In the short-term, this Nook WiFi (Nook Lite) will really pose a significant challenge to the generally-unimpressive Kobo eReader (Borders-affiliated) which sells for the same price but has no touch-screen interface and no WiFi. Not so much the Kindle, which incorporates 3G and stands on a par technically and price-wise with the standard Nook. In the longterm, the launch of Nook WiFi is the first step on what seems an inevitable trail for the major dedicated eReaders (Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader) toward increasingly modest hardware price-points while maintaining (if not enhancing) essential functionality - thus creating a niche even more distinctly separate from the tablet market than it is now. Choice for consumers. That's the key.
Note, Nook 2 is in development, as is a major new hardware release for the Kindle.
