I asked the question to Sony directly - as they are a big supporter of Read an E-Book Week - and was told they have no plans to abandon the reader.
As mentioned, a successful Read an E-Book Week will be big encouragement for ANY e-book reader manufacturer, and e-book publishers, to continue giving us e-books.
I personally see electronic reading becoming much bigger in the future. More authors are allowing their books to be released as e-books (John Grisham being the latest). They can see the direction that e-books are taking -- and its UP.
Stanza has been a big hit and when Daily Lit and Short Covers really get going, well....
Rita Toews
http://www.ebookweek.com