Nook early adopters promised a December 9th shipment, $10 online gift certificate

We already made it clear that the January 15th Nook date applies only to new orders, and while Barnes & Noble's retail outlets may not be getting any love (read: no units will be in stock for sale, as confirmed today), many of the faithful who pre-ordered early are receiving a happy note from the company right now with a not-quite-firm statement that "we expect to have it to you by December 9th" with free, upgraded overnight shipping. Another bonus? A $10 online gift certificate. Warm feelings for the holiday shoppers who thought ahead, and as for everyone else, at least rain checks save you money on gift wrapping.

[Thanks, Mona!]

[laxic Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:01PM]

I'm looking for a non-laptop/netbook with PDF support.
Kindle?
Nook?
Apple Tablet + Unicorn?

(and does anyone have an idea when dell may be adding arrandale processors to their laptops?)

[Yoda Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:25PM]

@laxic Nook.

[ployer Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:35PM]

@laxic I like my Kindle DX myself

[laxic Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:50PM]

@(Unverified)
good idea, maybe if they drop the price on dx in first half 2010

[NaJaKwa Posted Dec 4th 2009 5:00PM]

@laxic I'd just go with the unicorn sans the apple tablet.

[laxic Posted Dec 4th 2009 9:18PM]

@NaJaKwa
Brilliant!
(to arthur!)

[jallenscott Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:04PM]

I received the same e-mail, and the way things keep getting pushed back with new orders, it wouldn't surprise me very much to not have mine in hand before Christmas. I guess the $10 is nice though.

[phuz Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:15PM]

to ebay or not to ebay... hmmm heh

[eddiet29 Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:15PM]

Any wise consumer at this point would be better off waiting for some of the e-readers coming out in the first half of 2010 before making the decision of purchasing one.

[NeoXY Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:18PM]

@eddiet29 why whats coming out first half of 2010?

[CoreyMac Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:19PM]

@(Unverified) In all likelihood......the Kindle 3.

[Luke Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:25PM]

@eddiet29

There'll always be something to wait for. At some point you have to buy what's on the shelf.

[CoreyMac Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:35PM]

@Luke

Yes but you're better off waiting to see what the Kindle 3 actually has to offer before buying the nook. As its probably only 2 months away....and will in all likelihood have a touch screen

[Lou3000 Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:42PM]

@eddiet29

I follow engadget pretty closely, and there has been nothing on the Kindle 3. Both the Kindle and Kindle 2 had buzz months in advance, leaked pictures and documents. There has been nothing on the Kindle 3, but people keep saying it is right around the corner.

You can always wait, but what are the possible nook/kindle2 killers that the kindle 3 could possibly have? A touch screen doesn't seem like it would really add anything. A faster refresh, better contrast, better battery? None of these are worth missing out on the greatest geek feeling, being the first one the block with a new piece of tech.

[LiqwidZero Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:42PM]

@CoreyMac
And, hopefully, be down to $199 or so. I'll buy a Kindle at that price. I'm not stingy, I just don't have that much money to spend on awesome gadgets anymore.

[eddiet29 Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:42PM]

@Luke Agreed but given the fact that no one (media outlets, blogs, etc...) has had a chance to review the nook and any new orders most likely won't be delivered until February; would the consumer whose not already pre-ordered the nook not be better off waiting? I think the answer is yes, especially given the slew of news of e-readers that fill the pages on Engadget every week.

I apologize in advance if there has been a review of the nook for which I was aware of.

Thanks

[ECVOICE Posted Dec 4th 2009 5:02PM]

@eddiet29
Heck, some of us who DID pre-order the nook might be better off waiting. With no reviews, there's no telling whether or not it's a lemon. It's a risk, to be sure.

But there's the "how badly could they possibly screw up an e-reader?" question -- which I am reluctant to ask for fear of then finding out how badly.

Assuming we'll all find out next week.

[ZeRoCo0L Posted Dec 4th 2009 10:23PM]

@ECVOICE

Companies always screw up something easy. Hell they screw up simple phones.

[mahr Posted Dec 4th 2009 5:13PM]

What's up with her fingers? :|

[HektikLyfe Posted Dec 4th 2009 6:27PM]

@mahr Terrible pencil sharpener accident in elementary school.

She doesn't like to talk about it.

[doobster Posted Dec 4th 2009 5:32PM]

i hope someone at Engadget pre-ordered one (i'm assuming since B&N is so keen on fulfilling pre-orders, they won't be sending out review units)... wanna see a review on this..

[GreatJava Posted Dec 4th 2009 5:36PM]

I think the comment about waiting may have some wisdom. I think the buzz means you'll be able to resell this one if you aren't nuts about it, order it now and cancel later. This article things Santa would wait for the nook anyway, and you don't argue with Santa right?

http://nooktalk.net/news/would-santa-wait-for-a-nook

:)

[HektikLyfe Posted Dec 4th 2009 6:24PM]

Thinking Ahead = Making an almost $300 investment on a product you've never seen with your own eyes?

Took the Leap seems more like it.

Trusting $300 on the word of some online outlets. They MAY be right. I know I'm really interested in it but there was no way I was going to buy it without first getting my hands on it.

[DrEngrish Posted Dec 6th 2009 12:47AM]

@(Unverified) I totally agree with you on that. The Nook may well be a breakthrough in the eBook market, but until I get a chance to try it out and see if it meets my needs, I plan to wait with my $300 at a safe distance.

[Ops Posted Dec 4th 2009 6:48PM]

now this is what I should have bought then sold it on ebay and made thousands

[One Love Posted Dec 4th 2009 7:23PM]

a whole $10? say it aint so.

[AM321CAN Posted Dec 4th 2009 10:04PM]

Dear Barnes & Noble,

You were dumb enough not to realize the insane demand for your product, and now many of us are holding out until they're available at full throttle, because this "Your order will ship on December 12 *hiccup* I mean January 25th" is complete bullcrap.

Sincerely
God.

Preguntas? Why are so many companies guilty of absolute idiotic marketing campaigns and failure to estimate correctly the millions of customers interested in these products. Just look at Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Pure Genius! Good Job Activision. Now please help Sony & their PS4 Launch.

[dindale Posted Dec 7th 2009 8:33PM]

I placed my pre-order (I'm guessing) just after the first cutoff and had received a Dec 7th shipping date. When I saw the article on Engadget about the $10 gift certificate I was mildly disappointed, but felt the gesture was a nice compensation for the the delivery date changes. Then I checked my email....

It turns out that the offer is only for those who pre-ordered the Nook in the first group. Those of us with Dec 7th dates (or later) are not receiving the late shipment gift, and are supposed to believe that overnight shipping "this week" means that our Nook will arrive on the 16th.

I understand product delays. I understand that the best businesses will sometimes make mistakes - as they are reliant on their vendors, and unforseen hardware/assembly issues. What I don't understand is a company deciding, in this day and age, to attempt to wrap up a product delivery delay in misdirection, additional false claims (shipping to me "this week"), and choosing to compensate people affected in the same manner - differently.

B&N needs to hip-check its Marketing crew out of the way and deliver an honest, direct explanation to those of us who dropped almost $300 to purchase a product that is receiving luke warm reviews. Treat all of us the same (I don't even want the $10) and fess up - that's all consumers want. Otherwise, they're just another fast talking, deceptive retailer trying to grab our wallets.

Me.

Here Comes Your nook

Dear Keith,

This is to confirm that your nook will be shipping this week. Although your shipment has been slightly delayed, we've upgraded you to overnight shipping to ensure you'll receive your nook by December 16.

Thank you for being among the first customers to order nook. Our aspiration is that you'll find it a great way to read, and we look forward to getting your feedback on the overall experience to continue to make it better for you.

Happy Holidays,

William Lynch
President, Barnes&Noble.com