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Whatever happens, and whatever the faults of the device/firmware/company/bookstore, the Kobo has been my introduction to the world of ereading and I'm grateful that they released them in Australia at a time where there were no other retail alternatives. I've convinced 3 mates to buy Kobos and none of us regret it.
B&N and Amazon are huge companies who have economies of scale on their side, and can afford to sell the readers very cheaply as loss leaders for their profitable ebooks. Can Kobo? Who knows, but the average consumer votes with their wallet nowadays, and a device which can do more for less $ will always win. I'd be surprised if Kobo doesn't drop the price to stay competitive. Simplicity is not actually a feature that users are prepared to pay a premium for.
All that said, I think the market will change significantly in the next year or so as new technologies come on line. Faster, higher contrast, colour displays etc. I'm extremely interested in Mirasol based ereaders for instance. It'll be interesting to see whose on top after a couple of years.
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