The success of Apple’s iPad has already started showing its effect on netbook sales. As per Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, netbook sales have slowed down as early as January when Apple originally announced the iPad. While there was a 641% year-over-year growth rate for netbooks last summer, this year things are completely different.

It also seems that most consumers in US who initially wanted to buy a netbook, eventually settled for an iPad instead. “But in support of her theory, she offers a Morgan Stanley/Alphawise survey conducted in March that found that 44% of U.S. consumers who were planning to buy an iPad said that they were buying it instead of a netbook or notebook computer.”

[source: tech.fortune.cnn.com]