Recently, Sony Corp. had officially announced that its Daily Edition e-reader's shipment has been delayed and there are good chances that it might not make it to the markets during the holiday season, and now Barnes & Noble has said the same thing, disappointing all eagerly awaiting buyers. The firm has confirmed that all of its Nook e-readers have been sold out. Although the Nook has not started shipping yet, the company has said that pre-orders have taken up all the units that had been manufactured and there are none left for market release during the holidays.

Users who want to get their hands on the Nook will now have to wait until after January 4, that is when B&N is expected to ship the next lot. But buyers who have fore-ordered can rest assured as they would be getting the device just in time for the holidays, as has been confirmed by Mary Ellen Keating, a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman.

In the wake of the realization that non-availability might hurt the sales of the Nook, B&N is now encouraging people to place pre-orders for the device to give them away as gifts on other occasions. The books retailer has promised customers an "elegant Nook holiday certificate" that would reach them by December 24, and can be gifted as a placeholder till the actual e-reader arrives in the markets.

Amazon's Kindle e-reader now seems to be racing ahead of competition. Not only does the device currently dominate much of the e-reader market, but it is also in stock.