Given the nature of the tech press, it's perhaps understandable that the majority of focus post iPad has been on what comes next – the forthcoming tablet releases by Samsung, HP, and the like.

It is, of course, the humble e-reader that is currently having to deal with the onslaught of iPad, with reports today suggesting the typical response of platform holders Amazon and Barnes & Noble is to slash the price of their respective offerings.

As a result, Barnes & Noble's Nook has seen its RRP cut from $259 to $199 in the US – just seven months after the device made its debut.

The firm also plans to launch a wi-fi only Nook, retailing for $149.

Aggressive Amazon

In reaction, Amazon dropped the price of its Kindle e-reader to $10 below the current Nook's new figure just hours later, with Kindle now coming in at $189.

Before the price cuts, both Kindle and Nook traded at the same price.

It represents some comedown for Amazon, with Kindle having launched at the $399 pricepoint back in 2007.

Heavy speculation suggests price-cuts are not the firm's only weapon, however.

Reports by both Bloomberg and the New York Times over the course of the first half of the year have mooted the idea of two new Kindle devices – a cheaper black and white device, as well as a higher-spec colour variation.

Indeed, it remains to be seen what remaining consumer leeway both Kindle and Nook can expect to profit from when it comes to price, with both devices now trading for well below half the price of the cheapest iPad, which comes in at $499.

Reuters