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I think Panasonic's next generation sensor will answer all the Sony challenges and probably introduce some innovations of their own.

Agreed, the never ending race makes users think someone is always behind

It's the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" effect. 

they started the mirrorless market as we know it just 2 years ago

i would say they have defined the curve, if they could get their hands on a  better sensor   they would be unstoppable


the ep3 is the new standard for af speed , offered consumers solid construction and metal build at non leica prices ,[ being copied across the board]    the new x 100, which i love ,would not exist if the ep1 hadnt shown fuji, and the whole industry , a retro styled quality machine was strongly sought in  the marketplace

I literally laughed when I read this... Olympus and Panasonic aren't in a losing end in any competition, they OWN the M43 market! Aside from that, the NEX is shit, I've tried the NEX 3-7, and all 3 of them were simply toys to me IMO. They are like Sony products, they look minimal and appealing, but they work like shit.

I'm still in major love with my E-P1, and even though I plan on getting a 5DII or a 7D, I will STILL happily carry around my E-P1 for everything else!

Everybody here is focussing on the camera, but the camera isn't the most important thing of the process of creating pictures ¹. Yes it is important, but lenses are far more important than the camera. And if you look at Canon and Nikon, have you seen how many lenses there are? From 8 mm to 1200mm and everything in between, and a lot of them are dust and waterproof.

But the biggest disadvantage of the E=P(L)x systems is that they are small and too light. Put a prime 400mm lens on the Pl1 and you know what I mean ².

I have said it before, I think. The common person who buys a camera, isn't interested if the camera has a mirror or not, he or she wants to take a picture and hey, his or her neighbor has a Nikon/Canon and that looks like a real camera to them, the E-P series are looking to much like a compact.

The fact that they are small is more a disadvantage for the more serious photographer, than an advantage. Yes for a second or third camera it could be an advantage. ³

But that doesn't mean that I don't love my PL1.

[off-topic]
is there a hack that I can turn my manual modus in real manual modus
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Number 1 above:
I disagree.... In the age of Sensors that replace the film... (which also have its limits depending on the film used), The Sensor Is just as important as the glass used... You can put great glass on a crappy sensor, and you get crappy images because the sensor can't deliver what the glass can.. granted, the image will be better than not great having used glass... But, a sensor that handle high resolution + high ISO, is much more preferred. 

It is still after all these years, dependent on 2 factors..... A quality sensor, and a quality lens... Yes, exposure is important too..


Number 2 above:

I would say that most "users" of the m4/3 in the world market, are just family people who will never wander outside the offered lenses from Panasonic or Olympus. So, the small body is just fine.

Many on this site, however, have photography as a hobby, a way to express their thoughts in photography. And, if you use a long lens like a 400mm, you would also use a tripod, just as you would with a DSLR for lower ISO images... so that argument is moot...  BTW, I can handhold a 3lbs 400mm with my G3 and get plenty of sharp images, if a tripod is not convenient for the location, at a higher ISO.

Number 3 above:
The size of camera is not a disadvantage to a "Photographer", because a "Photographer" can make a great image with any camera, knowing it's strong points and it's weak points.. and will choose the correct camera for the job. A sports photographer would not take a camera that does not offer fast FPS to cover the action. So, the family guy, who has kids in sports will most likely get a DSLR that can handle sports more appropriately. BUT, the G3 and E-P3 can handle kid sports with the 100-300 and having the camera set up NOT to show a preview after each shot... that's 3fps... plenty for family sports..

I know you love your E-PL1 
Don't underestimate the m4/3... they can deliver plenty....

i  see it as a similar cycle to computers , which cameras are these days.... lens assemblies welded to computers.... photo sensitive chips and flash memory  have replaced film and evfsand lcd have mostly replaced vfs

look at a computer 5 ....10 and 15    20   years agothink about the increases in processing power and storage space   quality and size of screens  etc

same for cameras go back  to 2008 for a second  high iso performance  price screens buffers storage size   etc
now  go backto 2003 remember that .....now  back to 1998   digital has come avlong way.
 the makers dont have to make things obselete....the natural march of technology is doing just fine to drive obselence

 advances in state of the art for screens sensors af speed sd cards  storage size  sensors  and  image quality will make any camera seem old in just a few short years

 these things drive the market for now

There may be an argument that Panasonic and Olympus can no longer increase market share with incremental improvements and interface "tweaks". I'm sure Panasonic knows this, it will be interesting to see what they introduce next as their "flagship". One thing you can count on with both Sony and Panasonic is the murderously-fast product introduction cycle we are witnessing probably isn't going to slow down.