In the Strange But True department, a Microsoft exec actually admits that the iPad is cannibalizing sales of Windows 7 powered netbooks. They seem similar: quick, portable way to browse internet and get email. But, I think the netbook is more of a computer than a toy like the iPad. There may be a lot of “apps” on the iPad, but netbooks can claim they have real applicati0ns! You can get real work done on a netbook, if you can get used to the specs and the small screen.

Other factors have been attributable to the decline of the netbook, including a lack of meaningful performance upgrades from Intel and a tough economy that has discouraged buying non-essential computing hardware, but Apple’s relatively strong iPad sales have suggested at least some buyers have switched form factors. The choice could be a significant concern for Microsoft as it has no direct answer to Apple’s design in the short term. Tablets using Windows 7 and Intel’s Oak Trail platform aren’t due until early 2011, and the more mobile Windows Embedded Compact 7 also won’t arrive until the same time.