That ledge. While we are concerned about looks quite a bit here, there is a real upside to that extra width. I have the Exec Leather 'Smooth Mocha' for the Kindle 1, and when I moved to the K2 and have been using the nicely slim, thin, and light Amazon cover, I noticed that my left hand (which holds the Kindle most of the time) tires more with the K2 and cover, so I sometimes take it out of that cover. (W/o a cover, the back of the K2 makes it too slick and slippery and, because it's long, the balance of it is less comfortable than with the k1 w/o cover.)
When I go back to the K1 for this or that, I find that the M-Edge's added ledge makes it MUCH easier to hold and that I can do page turns more easily as a result rather.