Gregm,
I passed your advice on to my wife. She was pleased to learn that she won't be responsible for holding the bike vertical or for kick starting us at the lights. She really enjoys the aspects of tandeming that allows her to watch the scenery and chat with pedestrians. Now you (and Sheldon Brown) have freed her from more responsibilities.
I spent the better part of an hour yesterday looking at tandem web sites. It seems at this point in the life'cycle' of the sport -- emphasis is very much on speed and performance. It seems to be a diversion for serious roadies.
My days of drop handle bars are ten years behind me ... and my lower back is very thankful. My wife and I started biking together regularly two years ago; we easily cover 40 miles on our hybrids (Specialized Cirrus) - BUT, we carry a nice lunch and we always stop to admire both roses and interesting road kill. We transitioned to biking from canoeing, so obviously we don't go to the outdoors to get somewhere or nowhere in a hurry.
We would like a lighter weight frame with cruising and hill climbing gears - but posture possibilities that allow us to actually enjoy the scenery at a 12 to 15 MPH clip. Do you think the industry is interested in us as a market?
Thanks for your input