Barnes & Noble Nook coming later than expected

If you planned on heading into your local Barnes & Noble this week to try out and possibly pick up the latest e-reader, the Nook, think again.

On Sunday, Barnes & Noble announced that the Nook would not be available in stores for purchase or demonstrations until December 7. This delay is due to high demand for the upcoming e-reader. "A very limited supply, along with demo units, will be available in our highest-volume stores only, beginning December 7," Mary Ellen Keating, Barnes & Noble's senior vice president of corporate communications and public affairs, told CNET in an e-mail. Originally, however, the bookseller had intended to have a limited supply of Nooks available for purchase and test-use by Monday. Barnes & Noble is making it a priority to make sure that all Nooks purchased before November 20 for $259 are shipped before shipping to stores. The entire short lifespan of the Nook has been linked with disappointing announcements. The Kindle competitor was expected to ship to pre-ordering customers by the end of November. However, earlier this month, Barnes & Noble announced that the device would not ship until December 11. On November 20, B&N also announced that the device was sold out for the remainder of 2009, and wouldn't be available until January of 2010. "The hottest holiday gift is out of stock," reads a message at the top of the page. "Order the Nook today to be first in line for the new year."