The realization that the netbook fad has exploded hasn't gone unnoticed by any big hardware vendor in the industry. The realization that prices are severely out of line with what people initially expected with netbooks hasn't gone unnoticed either. In fact, A VP for AMD, Pat Moorhead, has made a statement just to that effect, citing that netbooks have gotten way too expensive.
He claims the "price creep" has made the machines directly compete with laptops, and that even at the low end of the laptop lines you'd be getting more hardware per dollar by avoiding the available netbooks.
He also criticized the battery life of the units. With smaller profiles, slower CPUs and tiny displays, just about anyone watching netbooks evolve has waited for the "8 hour" machine that could last all day on a single charge. That's not the case, of course, with most netbooks actually having less battery capacity than a midrange laptop. He makes some good points, though none that aren't obvious to anyone who pays attention. Hopefully companies like Asustek and MSI are paying attention to these issues.