Price Grabber have reported the results of a recent survey [1MB PDF] on their customer buying and usage habits.

Some of the key takeaways were

• 55% of consumers do not see a netbook as a feasible replacement for a laptop.
• 63% indicate that a netbook is best described as an additional device while on the go. 
• The percentage of online consumers who personally own a netbook has increased from 10% last year to 15% this year. Moreover, 11% of consumers plan to purchase a netbook in 2010.
• Of those consumers who indicate personally owning a netbook, 86% also own a laptop and 73% also own a desktop. More netbook owners indicated also owning laptops and desktops last year, 91% and 87% respectively. In fact, 72% of consumers see a laptop as a feasible replacement for a desktop, 45% of consumers see a netbook as a feasible replacement for a laptop, and 27% of consumers see a netbook as a feasible replacement for a Smartphone.

For those that follow the netbook scene these results shouldn't be much of a surprise. After all, netbooks were never designed to be fully fledged computer replacements. They're meant to be complementary to your main system. Still, it's interesting to look at this research. I hope Price Grabber repeat this survey next year so that we have a longer term view of the market.

By Anthony Caruana