Do we really need e-readers?

Once upon a time, Amazon had the kindle. It still has..but so are there a number of other e-readers.
2010 was the year of the e-readers. Apple came out with their own. So did Samsung, Dell, HP and some say even Google is also readying its own.
So what is all this hoopla about? Every company is busy giving their version of how great and mighty their e-reader is. If sales figures are to be believed, there seems to be some credence to it aswell. One thing is sure, this segment is there and people are liking it.
But why?
What can an e-reader do that a laptop cannot? If I were to look at the feature and functionality of a conventional laptop to that of an e-reader, I dont see any advantages of buying and using an e-reader, except that the e-readers are usually lighter and sleeker. On the hindsight, e-readers hardly can do most of the tasks that a laptop can do. Even the argument about e-readers being lightweight is not  very true. Some of the sub-13 inch laptops and most netbooks are extremely lightweight. I think the whole thing about e-readers is highly overrated.

Therefore, here is my stand. I'm not buying any e-reader. I'm quite happy with the laptop line I currently own. I just dont see any compelling reason for shelling out any more money. Between my Android Phone and my Linux Laptop, I'm a happy satisfied geek. At least for now. 

There I said it..