As I mentioned elsewhere, I never seriously considered a Kindle until the iPad got me used to tablets, but the iPad cannibalized my iPhone and MacBook use (neither of which I ever read a novel on). The Kindle paperbacks and hard covers.
I get the avoidance of too many gadgets, but once you get to current tablets, I think the necessity line has already been crossed for most. Besides with WhisperSync it's not a thought to move from doing the majority of long text reading with the Kindle, then switch to the iPad for the last chapter of backlit reading in a darkened bedroom.
Anyway will be interesting to see if the cheapest Kindle (and Nook?) hits $99 by the holidays. Soon after that readers may be the price of an iPad case or an e-book itself.