Survey Finds iPad Demand May Be Shrinking

Ed Sutherland ()

Survey Finds iPad Demand May Be Shrinking

A new survey out indicates people are still interested in buying an iPad, but possibly not in the same numbers as before the tablet device was a known quantity. The figures seem to echo those released earlier this month showing a drop in demand for the new Apple product after the Cupertino, Calif. company’s public announcement.

The latest survey conducted by ChangeWave Research for RBC Capital says 13 percent of people asked are either very or somewhat likely to purchase an iPad. A September survey by ChangeWave for RBC found demand for an unspecified Apple tablet priced between $500 and $700 at 21 percent.

Earlier this month, another survey found a similar drop in demand after the iPad’s introduction. Prior to the iPad’s unveiling, 26 percent of people surveyed said they wouldn’t buy an iPad. That figure rose to 52 percent after the device was introduced.

“While we do not expect feverish initial launch lines like the iPhone,” RBC analyst Mike Abramsky said Tuesday, “the data portends well for healthy initial iPad uptake.” Part of that initial enthusiasm could be prompted by the iPad’s $499 base price. In 2007, when the iPhone was launched, just 9 percent said they were likely or very likely to buy the handset. That compares to the 13 percent for the iPad.

Consumers surveyed don’t seem dissuaded by the iPad’s price. Unlike the 28 percent of survey participants in 2007, just 8 percent of people said they would not buy an iPad because of the price.

Although the lack of a camera, Flash and other technology has been criticized, the missing features didn’t cool enthusiast for the iPad. Surfing the Web was the use most frequently cited, at 68 percent, followed by checking e-mail and reading e-books.

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The survey also found most interest is focused on the $499 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad and the $829 64GB iPad with Wi-Fi and 3G.

Abramsky continues to predict Apple will sell 5 million iPads this calendar year.

8 comments »

About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • http://www.twitter.com/MacSmiley MacSmiley

    Meaningless.

  • Lee

    88% of statistics are made up on the spot!

  • Jesse

    100% of me is still gonna buy one. I don’t care if people think it is stupid, I think that it will be usefull for me.

  • Charli

    the trouble with these stats is that they won’t mean anything once the device is available for at least a hands on demo. Even if it’s not available to buy for another couple of weeks. Once folks see it, and once there’s more reviews, the demand could leap.

  • http://www.toxicspark.com Andrew Macdonald

    LOL at Lee’s comment.

    And I completely echo Jesse’s comment. I am 100% buying one for myself and the wife, and perhaps even my son… though he’ll have to wait til his Birthday.

  • Don Pope

    It’s like a popular person who everyone says should run for president.
    As soon as the person declares his views and party affiliation, half the electorate is alienated.

    Before the announcement, everybody was expecting the iPad to be tailored to their own specific needs or wants, so of course a lot of people said they would buy it. Now that we know the specifics, the market has been narrowed down.

  • Ajkdc

    So let me see if I follow your argument, Ed. Last September 21 percent of people surveyed said they would likely purchase an Apple unicorn, and this month only 13 percent say they are likely to purchase what they now know is “only” a magical and revolutionary pony, and you want us to believe the comparison of consumer demand for an imaginary unicorn versus a real pony is meaningful? How, exactly, do you quantify how many units Apple could have sold if they released a unicorn instead?

    If there’s any usefulness in these pre-release surveys (and I’m not sure there is), it’s comparing the pre-release surveys and post-release sales data for one consumer product (e.g., the iPhone) to the pre-release surveys for another product (e.g., the iPad) to predict the second product’s post-release sales. That comparison suggests consumer demand for the iPad may be greater than for the first generation iPhone. If first year iPad sales matched or exceeded the slope of first year iPhone sales it would be a runaway success….

    That reminds me, is the pre-order link live yet?

  • http://ObamaPacman.com ObamaPacman