Barnes & Noble to launch 8GB Nook Tablet to better fight Kindle Fire, says report

Barnes & Noble will soon launch a cheaper 8GB model of its Nook Tablet to help the company compete with Amazon’s blazing Kindle Fire sales, according to a document obtained by The Verge.

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The current Nook Tablet runs $249, but it has had a hard time attracting cost-conscious consumers who prefer the $199 Kindle Fire. While I personally prefer the Tablet over the Fire because of its smoother processing, the average consumer likely sees the units as too similar to justify paying $50 more for one.

To bring down the price point of the Tablet, B&N will lower the storage capacity to 8GB from its currently available 16GB. That will lower the amount of room for storing e-books, e-magazines, games, and other media. Thankfully there is a microSD slot on the Nook Tablet that lets you bump up storage if you feel the need.

The Verge’s document points to a release date in just a few days, with timing at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday the 22nd. The document says units of the 8GB model should be delivered to stores between Feb. 18th and 21st.

Apple is also reportedly testing out a smaller size for its mega-popular iPad tablet, a move that would help it better fight smaller Android-based tablets like the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet.

A Barnes & Noble representative did not immediately respond with confirmation or denial of the report.

Nook Tablet photo: Barnes & Noble