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Dec. 1, 2009

U.S. book retailer Barnes & Noble said this morning that it is scaling back the retail launch of its Nook eReader.

The company originally planned to have the device in some stores today.

Barnes & Noble now says the devices won't hit retail locations until Dec. 7.

Even then, the eReader will only be available in very limited numbers in the company's highest-volume stores, according to a Barnes & Noble spokesperson.

But online orders of B&N's eReaders should not experience further delays, according to the company. Last week, Barnes & Noble warned that all new orders of the Nook would not ship out until Jan. 4, 2010.

Customers who pre-ordered the device were told the Nook would ship on Nov. 30.

A second wave of shipments is slated for late next week.

A higher demand and very limited production has hindered a large-scale deployment of the new Android-based eReader.

The Nook differentiates itself with an Android operating system, as well as a dual screen with a full color touchscreen panel at the bottom of the device.

Barnes & Noble's e-bookstore, which it rolled out only four months ago, now boasts a catalog of over a million books, 500,000 of which are free and come as a part of its recent partnership with Google Books.

All of those books can be bought and read on desktop computers and laptops, as well as through apps for the iPhone and BlackBerry smartphone.

According to the Wall Street Journal, citing a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman, demand for the Nook has exceeded the company's most optimistic expectations.

As a result, a second wave of shipping is being set for December 11.

Barnes & Noble hasn't released any sales numbers yet, but it did say that its earnings were ramping up the production schedule for the new device.

The book retailer also has had to beef up its staff and marketing support to handle sales of the new device.

But even for Amazon, trying to keep up with demand also proved challenging for last year's holiday season, when stock of its Kindle eBook reader ran out.

Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble say their eReaders are the top-selling items on their respective Web sites.

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Source: Barnes & Noble.