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While as a gadget geek I'm interested in seeing, and possible buying a gadget like the rumoured apple Tablet, what I find interesting is the idea in the Tech press that as long as its not colour, multimedia, etc its not a good product.
When I see People on the news, or tech pundits lament the lack or Multimeda or colour, it does seem that tey are missing the point a bit, as that the device is ment for reading. Its only then I realise that part of the reason for that is most of them, it appears don't read BOOKS ay more. Or if they do, its more likely to be in the form of audiobooks, etc .
When we look at it from that point of view, its a stark reminder that regular book readers like all of us here are a Minority, as most people only read couple of books a year. while they may do a lot of reading, its likely to be in the form of web content, magazines, documents, etc which I agree current gen devices don't handle well.
So from a mainstream point of view, where people don't read that many books, a dedicated eBook reader may not make as much sense as a multimedia multi use device. A device which can handle stuff that most people usually read all day, like web stuff, documents, Magzines probably need colour and additional functionality, as that content does not look as good in B&W.
On the other hand current eInk readers are ideal if all you want to do is read books on them. The ability to go through days of reading on a single charge, and the lack of eyestrain coupled with portability means that vorocious reader can have an entire library available when ever they want to read.
I personally have 2 multimedia devices (iPhone & N800) and a single dedicated reader (Pocket Pro) at present, and while I can and do read eBooks on the multimedia devices, I usually prefer the dedicated device as not only is it easier to read, but I don't have to worry about draining my battery or being distracted by something else when I'm using them.
I just hope that in pursuit of the mainstream market, companies don't forget about the minority of readers like us who usually purchase the most amount of books.
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