I think that a lot can be learned from what Facebook has done in the mobile space and the conclusions they have come to: multiple apps is the way to go.

Personally I don't use the WordPress Reader functionality at all. With the shutdown of Google Reader I switched over to Feedly and never looked back. They have a great web app and great mobile apps. I supplement that with Pocket (getpocket.com) for saving things for future reference.

I definitely think WordPress could compete with Feedly with it's Reader but it would take rethinking how it currently works and creating apps specifically for that purpose. Who knows, maybe this is something in the works at Automattic. I'd consider switching from Feedly if it was. But it would have to be as easy and nice to use for both WordPress and non-WordPress powered sites with it's own standalone mobile app optimized for mobile phones, tablets, etc.

When you look at the evolution of WordPress and how it's gone from being used primarily as a blogging tool to being used as a CMS for all kinds of web sites and applications, multiple mobile apps makes perfect sense. Especially when you factor in the wide variety of plugins that people use with their WordPress site. An official WordPress app is going to be able to encompass all of that which is where function specific mobile apps will come into play.

ManageWP's mobile app is a perfect example of this.

Personally I don't like doing too much writing on my iPad or iPhone so I wouldn't use the app to do anything more than quick updates or site maintenance. Anything more than that and i'll be using my laptop. I get that mobile is extremely important, but I don't think it's the end all-be all. It's certainly an important piece of the puzzle that needs to be accounted for.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Automattic introduces over the next year. It's been interesting to watch as they've had to differentiate WordPress.com itself by introducing new admin tools, etc. specifically for it in order to cater to the market they serve vs. the self-hosted WordPress space.

As much as WordPress has evolved, I think we've only scratched the surface of where it can go. Exciting times.