As Nancy noted, the reaction to Apple's new iPad falls far short of the upper-case WOW! that has accompanied the launch of the iPod and iPhone. Maybe it's because the device looks like an iPod Touch on steroids. Or because it simply combines current functionality -- music, video, e-reader -- without leap-frogging them. At least Apple got the pricing right -- a range that starts at $499 -- but that is still substantially higher than the basic Kindle and nook. Here's what others are saying about the iPad, with particular attention to e-reader capability:

Baltimore Sun -- [UMd. professor Ben] Bederson said he didn't think an Apple tablet would eliminate consumer demand for other e-book readers, like the Kindle, at least in the near future. The Kindle is a lighter device and geared specifically toward avid readers, he noted, adding that the full impact of the iPad on the consumer marketplace might take time to be felt.

Los Angeles Times -- It's hard to see the iPad as anything other than a mortal threat to Amazon.com's market-leading Kindle reader. Today you can buy a top-of-the-line Kindle, the DX, for $489. For that you get 4 gigabytes of storage, enough to hold (Amazon says) 3,500 books. ... For only $10 more, you can have Apple's entry-level iPad, with four times as much storage, a high-contrast full-color screen -- also 9.7 inches diagonally -- a dedicated eReader application that looks as if it will be less clunky than the Kindle's, and Web-browsing capability that the Kindle lacks.

New York Times -- Apple’s announcement that it was diving into the growing e-book business put the company on a collision course with Amazon. ... John Doerr, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who serves on Amazon’s board and is also an adviser to Apple, said there could be room for both companies, noting that Amazon sells many books to iPhone owners who use its Kindle application, which will also work on the iPad.

Wired -- Not only is the book reading experience better because the screen is in color, the iPad solves the Kindle’s biggest problem: layout and graphics. Reading a newspaper or a magazine on a Kindle is disappointing. On the iPad, you get the publication virtually as it was designed to be read in print, with extras like video and photo slide shows that you don’t get in print.