There are quite a few factors for success:
Dedicated need not stay dedicated - read books and be capable of doing other things once in a while. Abel read a bit, watched a movie and listened to some music and turned in after checking his email on his 'reader'.
Battery life is extremely important. I don't really know if I get 8000 page turns, but I do get more than a couple of hours.
Size - the average paperback differs from the average glossy magazine or newspaper or an illustrated text book - the ebook readers have to solve that issue - carrying a 9.7" screen is different from carrying a 6" screen.
Durability and ruggedness count for a lot - Abel came in dripping with rainwater and tossed his plastic reader into the corner, while he peeled off his dripping coat....
Capacity - The sky is the limit but will fit in the reader quite easily - this aspect of technology is not worrying for books today. If you want your classical music collection, your pop, rock, etc., collection, you may need a bit more memory than 64GB.
People will continue to read. What they read on is quite irrelevant for the reader, as long as competition ensures that the success factors are built into the devices. It will be good for devices like the expensive ipad to make sure that there is more for your money in the reasonably priced market. Evolution, not death is in the offing for dedicated ereaders.
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