Apple's iPad has had tremendous success
among Apple enthusiasts and early adopters, but many consumers beyond that seem to be waiting to see what all the fuss is about.
According to a survey of 1,600 consumers (500 of whom were
already iPad owners), YouGov.com found only 7% said they had an interest in purchasing an iPad. A similar percentage said they had an interest in buying a tablet built on Google's Android operating
system.
"A lot of the people who have bought [the iPad] are tech enthusiasts and Apple loyalists," Katy Mogal, senior vice president of YouGov tells Marketing Daily. "There's definitely
room for someone to come in if they offer something different."
Of those who have already purchased an iPad, 90% already own one Apple product and more than half of them own two, according to the
survey. And while those owners are mostly satisfied with their purchases, they aren't really generating any more buzz than for other products; 80% are talking about the products with their peers, and
69% say they would recommend one to a friend.
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Both of those percentages are about on par with Android-powered devices and lagging behind the Kindle and the iPhone 3GS.
That lack of buzz may
be keeping non-owners from pulling the trigger on a purchase. According to the survey, 41% of non-iPad owners said their biggest barrier to purchase was not knowing what they would use it for.
Eighteen percent said they were waiting to see what other brands came out before buying it.
Those who own the device are generally using it for content consumption. According to the survey, 70%
of owners are using it to read e-Books, while two-thirds are using it to surf the Web and about 40% are using it to watch television and movies. Only 18% are using the tablet for business
applications.
"It's still a niche product; it's constrained to being a media consumption device," Mogal says. "If it can become more of a productivity device, it can really threaten netbooks --
and to some extent, notebooks."