Business makes for strange bedfellows.  Apple and Google have been at each other necks for months.  Things have only gotten worse as Android grows while iPhone adoption appears to plateau.

With the iPad being made available for preorder today, March 12th at 8am EST, Apple wanted to make sure they swayed as many people as possible.  For this reason, and this reason alone they are bidding on the keyword “netbook” on Google.  Oddly enough they aren’t bidding to show any ads when people type in iPad.  What’s even more interesting is that searches on Yahoo or Bing for “netbook” don’t trigger any ads from Apple.

Either Apple the company who does the Paid Search marketing for Apple are hedging their bets and want to make sure as many eyeballs (and users) as possible end up on Apple’s site.  Somewhere in Mountain View, CA some people are laughing at the irony of all this.

1. Apple To Start Taking iPad Pre-Orders On March 12

2. Best Buy To Carry iPad On Launch Day

3. iSuppli: iPad To Make Apple Ooldes Of Cash

4. Yahoo Finally Realizes Netbooks Exist

5. Apple Gives Official Middle Finger To Netbook Makers