You keep repeating that the Kindle does nothing but read books. Well, people bought it solely to read books, but it does/can do more than that, as I've pointed out several times before.

Built into the device is a dictionary, a web browser, and a dedicated Wikipedia application, not to mention the interface to the bookstore itself. It can also play audiobooks or even read your ebooks to you. Beyond that, they've recently announced a Software Development Kit.

Sadly, the Kindle doesn't support any DRM besides its own, but, guess what? Neither does the iPod. That's because both are intended to drive sales to their own stores. It does support other eBook standards, though, from TXT to HTML to Mobi.

Point of fact, though, is that it is unrelated to whatever an iPad is trying to be. It's an eBook reader, and it's dedicated to that purpose. The stuff they bundled with it is there specifically to enhance reading. I have no problem with adding features. But I doubt you'll be seeing Amazon say "look at how you can use your Kindle to control a Squeezebox!". It's just additional stuff that you might find useful if you happened to be out with it.

Sadly, Amazon refuses to provide actual sales numbers, which might indicate that you're right. I don't really know. They do provide sales numbers on the eBooks themselves, though, and they seem pretty significant.

As far as the "low-rent" eBook reader at Costco: well, I don't know what that was. They're currently selling Sony Readers. If people are buying those in numbers, that still supports my argument. I'm not touting the Kindle. I'm touting eBook readers over a device that claims to be an eBook reader that, I think, is half-assed due to its desire to be everything to everyone.