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A huge amount depends on the breadth of Amazon's ebook offerings internationally. Certainly in hardware terms the ugly plastic Kindle looks very unattractive compared to the current offerings from Sony, even though those are far from remarkable. Then again, I've never really got the big deal over Whispernet as far as books go, though I suppose it helps those who have difficulty using computers.
It's notable that there are many works available as ePubs in the UK that aren't available for the Kindle. The past couple of years have seen Sony and the Hanlin clones step into the void and develop a decent market for ePub outside the US. When people here unwrap their new Kindle in 10 days' time and find that the store won't sell them The Lost Symbol even though their friends have it on their 505s, they might get a bit miffed.
The problem for Amazon is the Whispernet has become as much a curse as a blessing. It's the reason that it's had to leave the international market to its competitors for so long, and it's also the reason it would be so hard to engineer a Kindle that supports ePub as well (since that would break the unified store interface).
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