Amazon Kindle Fire owners appear to be just as eager for the iPad 3 release date to come about as the rest of the tech-community, according to new research by leading consumer website TechBargains.com.
An extensive survey has concluded that more than half (53%) of all current owners of the recently released Kindle Fire are planning to invest in the iPad 3 upon its expected launch next month.
Of the 48% of all respondents who stated their intention to by an iPad 3, 58% said they were looking to upgrade their existing tablet while no less than 74% stated that no tablet in the world today comes close to the iPad.
According to the 16% of shoppers unwilling to buy the iPad 3 and the remaining 35% who still undecided, expectations of a rather weighty purchase price came out as the primary reason.
“When it comes to tablets, Apple’s iPad will continue to remain the leader,” according to Yung Trang, President of TechBargains.com. “But what’s very interesting is that Kindle Fire was released just three months ago and yet more than half of Fire owners already know that they will, in fact, buy the iPad 3. This could be a commentary on consumer dissatisfaction with Amazon’s product or simply a message that the iPad’s user experience remains unparalleled.”
In the case of current Apple customers, 66% of all iPad owners and 56% of those with iPad 2 devices are planning to upgrade upon the launch of the iPad 3, indicating incredible loyalty and perhaps a desire to remain right at the top-end of the tech food-chain.
The study also went on to look into the upgrades and inclusions topping the wish lists of those looking to invest in an iPad 3, with 85% hoping for a quad-core processor, 80% requesting a memory card slot, 80% again suggesting a USB port and 76% calling for improved speaker quality.
Consumers in general seem to be in agreement that the iPad 3 must and most likely will upgrade camera quality, with 67% expecting an 8 megapixel sensor or better. 92% have also concluded that screen resolution will be considerably increased, though whether the fabled Retina quality display makes and appearance remains uncertain. Siri inclusion is guaranteed to delight the 65% calling for the voice assistant to feature in the iPad 3, while achieving a less reflective screen remains desirable for 72%.
The market for iPad 3 buyers appears to be centered around the 31 to 50 age range, with likely male buyers surpassing their female counterparts by 51% to 35%. Both sexes agreed that perhaps the biggest concerns of all regarding the iPad 3 is the price.
“It’s clear from the wish list results that consumers don’t want the iPad 3 to be a slight improvement over the iPad 2; they’re looking for a significant leap in tablet functionality and specs from Apple’s newest device. That means addressing some elements that left users underwhelmed, like wanting a faster processor or a less reflective screen,” according to Jeff Haynes of TechBargains.com. “The storage features from the wish list probably won’t be included, but those stats speak to the consumer’s desire for Apple to increase its storage options away from iCloud, especially if it wants memory intensive apps or initiatives, like the new textbooks through iBooks, to really take off.”
The unveiling of the iPad 3 is expected to take place early next month, with a full public launch in the mid to late-stages of March.
