Apple's self-described "magical" and "revolutionary" device apparently wasn't magical and revolutionary enough for would-be buyers, according to a new survey.
A followup survey by Retrevo found that interest in the iPad actually fell significantly after Apple unveiled the device as many consumers felt underwhelmed by its features.
According to the survey, the number of respondents who said they were not interested in the device shot up from 26 percent prior to the official announcement to 52 percent. Likewise, the number of people who said they did not need an iPad jumped from 49 percent to 61 percent.
The change in opinion is significant given the buzz leading to the iPad unveiling, which generated as many as 7,400 tweets per minute on Twitter at one point. Not only did the unveiling fail to convince new buyers about getting an iPad, it actually caused some buyers originally interested in the device to change their minds about buying one.
Some of the device's shortcomings were addressed in our Apple iPad First Look article, along with other articles in our iPad Central page. In contrast, analysts actually were bullish on the iPad, with some predicting anywhere from 1 million to 5 million sales for the device in its first year. So who's right and who's wrong? I guess we'll start to find out after March.
Photo © Apple
Comments
Maybe everybody likes the iPhone better than the iPad.
@Mike
Yeah, it certainly looks like Apple’s got a lot of work to do for the iPad to duplicate the iPhone’s success.
Maybe they can make some improvements before the launch. But I’ve already talked to several iPhone lovers who say they’re waiting for the second-generation iPad at this point (and the first one isn’t even out yet!) since the first one hasn’t quite convinced them to make a purchase. Then again, I wouldn’t put it past them to buy one anyway…
I do not understand. I can not wait to own an apple IPad!
@Donal
I was quite excited at first about the iPad, too, but now I’m waiting to see if Apple makes any additions prior to launch. It’s certainly an intriguing product but it could also use more
features. Hopefully, Apple delivers on those.
I do not want a PHONE connection. Just web connection sounds great. and with the base with the full keyboard, even better. I just want internet access where-ever I am. You know. What more could I ask for.
I have a kindle with basic internet access and it is a failure.