I read that article as well. It seems that 29ers were initially met with skepticism due to the fact that the bikes were basically 26" bikes with bigger wheels mounted under them, so the geometries and ridability was all screwed up. Over time, things have continued to become more refined and the 29ers have improved overall. I do agree that a lot of the hype about 29ers is coming from marketing departments who are trying to sell more bikes. There is very little on a standard 26" MTB that can be improved in order to generate bike sales, so manufacturers are looking for the next big thing to boost sales. For the amount and type of riding I do, I likely wouldn't notice an appreciable difference between the two, but it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find decent 26" bikes, at least in my part of the world.