According to the recent study of a group of 18-34 year olds from NPD, customers would rather prefer netbook to iPad.

So, as NPD survey found, while the netbook came out ahead, it was a slim margin of victory. Just over half, 51%, responde they'd prefer to roll with a conventional portable, but even more interesting, 44% of existing Apple device owners said they'd rather get a computer like the MacBook than an iPad.

"Considering what people are planning to use the iPad for, it's not hard to understand why people who have these capabilities on other devices, such as the iPod touch or a notebook/netbook, may not want to spend $500 or more on a similar device," NPD's representative claimed.

About 57% objected to the $499 price point for the entry-level model, while 43% of Apple users also took issue with the price. And only 18% had serious plans to purchase an iPad in the nearest future.