With the shipments of the new Barnes & Noble (B&N) $199 Nook HD tablet having already begun, the cost of the last-year-released Nook Tablets models have been reduced by the company.

The price markdown on the 2011 Nook Tablet versions by B&N has brought down the cost of the entry-level Nook Color to $139; while the cost of the 8GB and 16GB versions of the Nook Tablet have been lowered to $159 and $179 respectively.

Despite the fact that B&N has not made any official statement to specify the timeline for the future availability of the mentioned models, it is quite evident that the price-cut models will be sold through the holiday shopping season.

The B&N announcement of the reduction in the costs of its last-year Nook Tablet models has come close on the heels of the commencement of the shipping of the company’s new Nook HD earlier this week. The new tablet will cost $199 for the 8GB version and $229 for the 16GB model; and will essentially challenge the Apple iPad Mini, the Google Nexus 7, and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

Meanwhile, in addition to the Nook HD, the shipping of the bigger 9-inch Nook HD+ tablet will also reportedly begin soon. The entry-level model of the tablet will cost $269, while the 32GB version will be priced at $299.