Yes there are people that believe that because the CEO of EA says so. Yeah, that's legitamate.
Allow me to educate you. Now we don't have all the exact specs of the WiiU, but here's what we can assume of it.
Contral Processing Unit
It has a tri-core that is more advanced than that of the Xbox 360. It has been clocked at 1.24 GHz so far, but is rummored to be able to reach 4.25 GHz, which is about 30% faster than the Xbox 360. Since CPUs developed in 2010 can run to 4.25, this one should be able to manage that.
"Tri-core" means that it is three small CPUs interconnected, which allows better multitasking. On top of that, it has the first GPGPU, meaning that the graphics processor can pull double duty and work as another core for the CPU.
Graphics Processing Unit
The GPU is also completely new and interconnected with the CPU for better processing speed. On its own, the GPU has been clocked at 550 GHz, the max speed of the PS3s GPU. As this is still the youth of the WiiU, you can bet it can reach faster speeds than that.
Random Access Memory
2 GB, more than twice that of the Xbox 360 and PS3...
...COMBINED! Next.
Optical Discs
For good measure, let's cover the discs as well. Sony spent the last genration rubbing blu-ray in the faces of the compatition. With nearly three times the space of a DVD, they did have a lot to brag about. The WiiU game discs boast the same amount of space.
The WiiU tech is cutting edge and makes the PS3 look like a complete joke. There is no logic in claiming that it isn't "next gen". Especially when we don't have other next gen consoles to compare it with.