Cheap Laptops like iPad and Other Tablets Makes Trouble to Netbook Market

According to a recent survey done by Retrevo, a consumer electronics website, netbook sales aren’t doing so hot, mostly because of competition from the Apple iPad and cheaply-priced laptops. The study surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. consumers.

Apple’s iPad has proven popular with shoppers, as more than one million devices have already been sold. That popularity is hurting netbook sales, says the survey, as the iPad offers many of the same advantages that netbooks offer over a traditional laptop, such as higher portability and longer battery life.

The Retrevo survey asked consumers whether they are planning on buying an iPad or a netbook: 78 percent said they would be choosing an iPad, while only 22 percent would choose a netbook.

On the other hand, full-size laptops are getting more affordable and are eating into the netbook market: of the respondents who were deciding between the two devices over the past year, 65 percent eventually bought a laptop versus 35 percent who settled on netbooks.