Claims that the iPad is killing off the netbook are pants according to Intel and AMD. The tame Apple press was running stories about how Jobs' Mob's new gadget was eating into the sale of netbooks. Punters were apparently walking away from netbooks to buy a more expensive netbook without a keyboard.

Both Intel chief executive Paul Otellini and AMD's senior vice president and chief marketing officer Nigel Dessau have debunked the notion that iPad could be affecting netbook sales. Otellini said that demand for netbooks was stabilizing and the market is poised for growth since netbooks, initially regarded as a secondary device for consumers, are now becoming a primary purchase for some audiences in emerging markets.

Otellini said that in Mexico, about 53 percent of the laptop purchases were netbooks in Q4 2009 and this might repeat itself in places like India as the prices come down. Dessau said that while the market for netbooks is 30 million units a year, even the most optimistic claim that there will be 10 million iPads sold next year 2011. Dessau said there will be people who use iPads and people who use netbooks. He thinks there's room for both, there are uses for both, and there are opportunities for both.