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Well, I'm going to weigh in on the "Function Trumps Form" end because primarily my belief is that while using the E-reader I'd prefer it to virtually disappear... I wonder that the desire may also express itself in so many being available only in basic black, along with lower costs of manufacture, simpler supply chain logistics, etc.
However, I see no reason why Kobo or others couldn't produce a device similar to an 8" Nuvision tablet, TM800W610, that comes in a nice aluminum shell for a reasonable price as Nuvision managed to shoe-horn in an X5-Z8300 capable of running the full 64Bit version of Windows 10 and a capacitive touchscreen(admittedly LCD). With anodizing it could be pretty tough, lightweight, and doesn't have to be an 8" device. A similar design around an available e-ink screen with capacitive touch would be more than acceptable. The TM800W610 I have measures about 1/2" wider than my Kobo Glo at 8.30 x 4.90 x 0.30" weighing about 9.6 ounces while the Kobo with a 6" screen is about 6.2 x 4.5 x .4" @ 6.5 ounces.
What I'd like to see is a device like that based on X86 Android, or straight Android with a suitable processor, so one might get other uses from the tablet/E-reader. The biggest stumbling block might be the screen, but we've seen e-ink displays capable of faster output to deal with video, etc.
Honestly, all told the Nuvision makes a half decent reader with the LCD display, but of course, the power usage is quite high, so the e-ink would be great for that.
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