Are netbooks still favored over the Apple iPad? According to a survey by Retrevo, almost a third of U.S. consumers who had planned to buy a netbook ended up with an iPad. The survey further indicates that the most desirable netbook feature is it's portability.
I'd have to agree with the portability. I gave my wife an HP netbook to supplement her older MacBook 15" and she loves it, despite that it's not a Mac. If she's on the go, she tends to favor the netbook because it slips easily into her handbag. It also has 3G Internet, whereas if she took the Mac, she'd need to find a wireless network to get online -- which makes up the bulk of the work she does on a computer.
On the other hand, I favor my iPad, despite that it's a WiFi-only model. But one is not a replacement for the other. Using an iPad is an experience that's hard to describe. You have to try it to understand; don't listen to people who put the iPad down without actually trying it. I was skeptical because its touchscreen-based computing has some limitations that a netbook does not, which is why the two types of devices are not interchangeable. What an iPad offers is a wholly different experience.
Still, despite the survey results, netbook sales are down and, in comparison, iPad production could increase from its current rate of 1-1.5M units/month to 2.5M units/m. So maybe what the survey failed to ask was how many people who intended to buy an iPad bought a netbook?
Update: After posting this, I found the Retrevo survey summary link, and it appears that they did ask people whether they were leaning towards a netbook or iPad, and nearly 80% said the latter.
Even if you have no interest in Apple's new iPad tablet computer, you probably can't get away from news about it, so you probably already know that it's pretty hard to get your hands on one, even in the United States. International availability will be done in phases, and it seems the date keeps getting pushed forwards, making a longer wait. But if you're not sold on the iPad, there'll be a number of competitors offering similar devices, and probably fairly quickly.