I think all the talk about WiiU is more a symptom of the fact that the video games industry is still in its infancy. We don't have very much historical data to compare how the Wii U is truly doing compared to all consoles that came before it.
The way it has trended against the Wii is disheartening, but the way it is trending against the PS3 is more positive. It'd be better if we could see how the Wii U is tracking against, the N64, Super Famicom and Famicom systems, as well as the PS1.
Just like mass media, board-goers love a sensational story, so we're always looking to spin it one way or the other. In the case of the Vita, we spun it for awhile, but it has more and more looked to actually be truly struggling when compared against hard data of the past. With the WiiU, we really can't determine with any true meaning where it will end up.
It's fun to speculate, but I think it's good to temper speculation with information.