We need to remember that the author is trying to get some shock value and interest fromthe article. So, when translated, "flop" means that it's not living up to a very high potential. As someone noted, e-books are still in the early stages and moving forward, not a "has-been" like some of the other items whose day has passed them by.
And both Sony Reader and e-ink are a remarkable step forward, along with some of the previous lcd devices and PDAs/Smartphones in general. With the Sony Reader, we now finally have a commercial product that works well for the average person on the street that loves books. And I bet that interest and sales have exceeded Sony expectations. I'd say that's not really what you would legitimately call a "flop".
Look at the quote Alex pulled from the recent Business Week article. Sounds promising to me, even if they did forget about the Sony Librie.
Quote:
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The Sony Reader is a very good first foray into the electronic book market. While there's no substitute for the feel you get with a real book, with a few adjustments to the software, and as more books become available digitally, it could quickly turn into the device everyone wants to have.
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But, I think the point is right if you look past the sensationalism - e-books have super potential and could have been much further along. They are, relatively speaking, a disappointment so far to fans and critics alike, mostly because of DRM and format issues.
But even as a disappointment, for those that care enough to get over all the obstacles and don't mind the small early market, I'd say it's still pretty exciting, as we can see from the enthusiasm at MobileRead. It's not because MobileRead is a perfect web site that it's so much fun to talk about and learn about e-books and devices. It's because it's a great topic and there are many of us with a very real interest. It's very good to know I'm not the only one, because this general and widespread appeal is a huge reason why e-books are destined to be a future success. Someday...