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As I said in another form here: The value of the book is in the words and the ideas created by those words. A "book" is simply a mechanism for transferring those words and ideas to other people.
For a long time pBooks were the most efficient way to do that.
Now, with more and more people having gadgets in one form or another, having those words and ideas in electronic form is a more efficient transport mechinism.
The "downside" to that is that eBooks make publishers irrelevant. The author can create the eBook and sell it themselves, or through an eBookstore (like Fictionwise). So publishers have a big interest in seeing eBooks die.
I completely agree that the gadget that's the main thing. It's how the gadget enhances the reading experience. If it's not better than a pBook, then the gadget is useless.
I've been reading eBooks ever since the screens on the Palms have gotten good enough to not mess my eyes up doing so. It's is just so convienent to have the 3-4 eBooks I want, on my person at all times, ready for me to read anytime. With the iLiad, it's a little less convienent, but I keep 5 books on it, swapping between them, making sure that I always have something interesting to read - on a screen that looks as good as paper and easy on my (getting older every day) eyes.
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