Just because something is evil and shitty doesn't mean it will fail. Examples: SUVs, Windows.

Amazon already has a partnership with Borders. Why not have Borders install Espresso Book Machines?

On-demand publishing at a bookstore/music store/cafe? Just imagine some dreamy-eyed teenager, who writes bad poetry (oh noetry) all day and can make a book out of it in the evening! And publishing your work is an even better conversation starter than a dog.

Espresso Book Machine: http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/21/new-york-public-library-g...

I doubt a good reader can ever be created by an entity that profits from the content.

Do we really have to go through the same mess as with music once again? Hopefully not - in any case, the outcome will most likely be the same... ("We were wrong, we should not have treated our customers like dirt etc...").

I would really like to create the iTunes equivalent for books...

Look at the Sony reader sometime. I remember seeing a single letter on a breadboard E-ink display years ago, and since then I've wanted a reader with that surface. It seems like everyone that handles one wants it. The ideal is an entire library of books in your back pocket, that 'feels/reads' like a regular book. It is getting closer, but the Kindle does seem like a baby step back from the Sony reader.

Kindle: $400. Asus eee: $400. Duh.

Like I'm buying a kindle now.