I think it's a good comparison. I personally don't think we'll see ebooks really take off until we have multifunction devices that are easy enough on the eyes and have long enough battery life to function as good ebook readers -- bibliophiles who love reading enough to buy a device especially for the purpose just aren't common enough to support a whole industry. But the day will come.
I remember fondly my first C64.

Life as a computer geek is different now than it was then, but still fun.