Apple's announcement of the iPad 3 today marks another milestone for the company's dominance of the tablet market. Despite increasing numbers of competitors entering the market space, Apple iPad 3 ownership and purchase interest has continued to grow, according to a new study from Vision Critical, a leading global technology and research firm.
The new iPad will be priced from £399 for 16gb Wi-Fi model and is available for pre-order from today.
The study surveyed a representative sample of over 5,000 people across the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia. Part of Apple's ongoing market domination could be attributed to brand awareness. Nearly half of respondents in the four countries were aware of the imminent launch of the iPad 3.
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iPad 3 Release Awareness
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US Britain Canada Australia
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44% 42% 49% 53%
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Furthermore, the study shows that tablets, and the iPad specifically,
have moved beyond early majority and reached all demographics:
-- Females are just as likely to own or be interested in an iPad as
males.
-- Adults aged 35-to-54 years are almost as likely to own or be
interested in an iPad as those aged 18-to-34 years.
-- Respondents aged 55 years and older remain less enthusiastic.
Tablet ownership has surpassed the netbook device, and come on par with
other mobile devices such as e-readers and portable gaming systems.
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iPad Ownership
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Total Total 18-34 35-54
(June (March Year Year 55 and
2011) 2012) Males Females Olds Olds Older
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US 4% 6% 5% 7% 7% 5% 3%
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Britain 3% 6% 7% 5% 9% 6% 3%
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Canada 4% 8% 8% 7% 7% 10% 5%
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Australia 8% 15% 15% 16% 19% 17% 10%
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Definitely or Probably Will Buy an iPad in the Next 3
Months
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Total Total 18-34 35-54
(June (March Year Year 55 and
2011) 2012) Males Females Olds Olds Older
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US 17% 20% 20% 20% 26% 21% 13%
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Britain 12% 20% 21% 19% 27% 21% 11%
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Canada 13% 19% 19% 18% 21% 20% 15%
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Australia 25% 22% 23% 22% 28% 24% 15%
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Purchase intent for the iPad 3 is strong in total, with an emphasis on
the younger male early adopter profile. Despite the strong growth and
purchase intent for the iPad 3, there is no single outstanding feature
among those rumored to be announced driving consumer excitement. Some
of the anticipated improvements-such as retina display, increased
processing power, and 4G LTE connectivity-do generate some interest,
but it is likely that they are seen more as logical improvements to the
existing device rather a revolutionary change that Apple fans will hope
for when Tim Cook takes the stage in San Francisco. The situation is
perhaps similar to the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 announcements. Consumers
have become so accustomed to ground-breaking devices and improvements
from Apple, so simpler, yet logical and effective changes, seem
mundane.
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iPad 3 Feature Interest (Extremely/Very Interested)
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US Britain Canada Australia
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Retina display (higher screen
resolution) 41% 34% 40% 49%
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Quad-core A6 Processor (Increased
processing power) 43% 38% 40% 51%
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Smaller size option (8 inch screen) 23% 21% 19% 24%
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4G LTE Connectivity/4G network
connectivity 39% 34% 37% 50%
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8 megapixel camera (higher photo
resolution) 39% 34% 37% 47%
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Microsoft Office applications (i.e. Word,
Excel, PowerPoint) 41% 42% 44% 61%
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Siri (voice recognition and control for
a variety of iPad functions) 33% 26% 28% 34%
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Price is also a key barrier to purchasing an iPad. The iPad currently
costs from USD500 USD to USD800 USD, making it a significant purchase
for most consumers. At this price consumers need to have very specific
needs in mind that they will fulfill with the device, but well over
half of those not interested in a tablet state they just simply don't
know what they would use it for (60% US, 57% Britain, 70% Canada, 67%
Australia). General Internet browsing is actually the number one use/
reason for interest in or owning a tablet, over any specific features.
Methodology
This study was conducted by Vision Critical as a part of an ongoing
research series tracking evolving consumer adoption and attitudes
towards tablet computers. Based on online fieldwork collected from
March 1 to March 4, 2012, the study involved representative samples of
1,001 adults in the US, 2,000 in Britain, 1,002 in Canada, and 1,003 in
Australia. The study was run on Vision Critical's Springboard America
Panel in the US, Springboard UK Panel in Britain, the Angus Reid Forum
in Canada, and with sample partner Nine Rewards in Australia.