Hi les pauls and company,
There are several reasons that PRing is much more preferable to regular reading or speedreading.
1. Speed reading is usually quite taxing and most people can't speedread all day long without becoming very tired or fatigued. PRing can be done all day if you want because it is relaxing and enjoyable.
2. With PRing, you first build your understanding of the material from the biggest picture possile; then you fill in the details as needed for your particular application.
3. When I used to regular read text books (or any book for that matter) I would tend to get lost in the details, or I would read so slowly that my mind would drift off to some other topic and 3 pages later I would realize that I had no clue as to what the author was talking about.
4. If this system is applied to your text books correctly, you will be able to understand the topic in 1/3 the time that it takes to regular read the same text with the same or better comprehension. This is the starting place and when you master the system you can get even faster.
5. One does not expect to hit a hole-in-one their first time on the golf course. One should also not expect to be able to use this system first time through a book as efficiently as Paul Scheele does (he's had 15+ years of practice). The system works. Play with it and give yourself some time to learn it.
To answer the question:
"If you are going to be doing several passes of activation through a book, aren't you likely to get the same effect even without the Photoreading step?"
In short No! The PR step is for putting the information into your brain. You simply don't think it's in there because you don't consciously recall anything. What is actually happening is that new neurofibers are being laid down and storage of the information that has been PR is taking place. The manual activation sessions are used to bring the information that has been PR into the conscious mind for conscious comprehension.
You only need to PR a book ONCE to get the information into your brain. Many people PR one particular book several times for many different reasons but only once is really neccessary. This particular step only takes about 10 minutes so it's no big deal to PR a book more than once. When I PR a book, I usually PR the book once forewards then once backwards simply because it's easy for me to do and doesn't take much more time as I am already in state. This step IS neccessary though, and if left out you are handicapping yourself in the worst way.
The activation sessions. The amount of time (the number of activation sessions) one chooses to spend on a particular book depends on several factors.
1. How familiar are you with the topic? If you know nothing about qunatum physics and you are reading a colege level text book for the first time, it will take a little while longer to understand the material than if you have been studying this subject for some time.
2. How experienced are you with the activation steps? If you are a rank beginner (just learning the system and have fully activated less than 5-10 books), you can expect to take a few more activation sessions than someone who is quite practiced with the system.
3. What level of knowledge do you want? If you want to simply be familiar with the topic, you will need fewer activation session than someone who desires to be able to teach the material.
4. Your physical condition also plays a factor. If you have been outside in the sun all day water skiing and are tired and dehydrated, you are going to have more difficulty than if you are rested, fed, and well hydrated.
5. Your mental attitude will play a role. If you are frustrated with something, angry, or uptight about something then you will have a more difficult time activating a book than someone who is not handicapped in this way.
6. If you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right. Self fullfiling prophesies work with this system as with everything else in life. 
Now Les, you say "I mean how long is it actually taking to get a book together or textbook for university you could revert back to the old regular reading and feel more confident and if you wanted to cut your time you can just take in some speed reading ideas and get it done."
There is a difference between just getting through the marterial and actually understanding what meaning the author of the text is trying to convey. PR allows one to actually understand the material they are going through rather than "just getting it done". Regular reading and speedreading are not as effective or efficient at building comprehension as PRing is.
Does that answer your question? If not, then ask again.
Sincerely,
Gregoryh
