I have lots of Sony products too -- as a result I no longer think that they provide high quality products. My next tv, pioneer not sony, my sons favorite console, Wii not PS3, my next e-reader - whichever is best in market when I'm ready to buy.
The idea that "poor product research" is the only blame for getting a product that does not work well is kind of insulting to the consumer. The e-reader should have been usable with PDF's, it should have let you organize files better, it should have performed its basic functions better. All the research in the world does not find alternatives when they are the only game. Now, what do we mean with "should have". Should have means that even though you don't have to, you do it to build brand loyalty. Sony don't think that way.
My ipod did not have volume restrict and it was added by firmware update. It did not have. It enabled cover art. etc... you need to update your Ipod more often Harry
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The bottom line is that customer satisfaction is a question of subjective perception. If enough people are not satisfied someone else gets the business. If people need updated functionality to feel that a product is properly supported then that has to become a part of the business model. Certainly in this age of rushing products to market, expecting feature updates is not unreasonable.