While most who currently own an e-reader have a Kindle from Amazon, a new survey found that a majority of consumers who intend to buy an e-reader in the near future will opt instead for the Apple iPad.
ChangeWave recently conducted a survey of 3,171 consumers the week after Apple announced the iPad, and the results suggest that the forthcoming device is poised to make a huge splash in the e-reader market.
"In particular, while a handful of e-Reader manufacturers -- most prominently Amazon -- clearly have a major head start," ChangeWave said, "the survey findings show the iPad is poised to profoundly shake up this market."
Among those who plan to purchase an e-reader in the next 90 days, 40 percent said they will buy the Apple iPad. That's well ahead of the 28 percent who will opt for an Amazon Kindle, 6 percent for the Barnes & Noble Nook and 1 percent for a Sony Reader.
That would be a major change for the Kindle, which is currently the far-and-away market leader. The ChangeWave survey found that 68 percent of respondents who already own an e-reader have the Kindle, while just 10 percent have a Sony Reader.
"While the iPad launch is likely to strengthen overall e-Reader demand, the survey suggests Amazon and its competitors could well find themselves relegated to playing catch-up within just a few quarters if they don't preemptively move quickly to upgrade their own e-Reader products," the analysis firm surmised.
In addition, among those who already own an e-reader, 27 percent said they would have bought an iPad if it were available at the time. Most -- 45 percent -- said they are content with their purchase, while 30 percent said they are unsure.
A portion of the same survey was by RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky. Those findings showed that 13 percent of respondents are likely to purchase Apple's forthcoming iPad, which is a number larger than the 9 percent who planned to buy an iPhone before its launch in 2007.
One of the strongest assets for the iPad is its . While 28 percent of respondents in 2007 said the iPhone was too expensive, only 8 percent in 2010 said they would not buy the iPad based on its price. In addition, while 19 percent said they are interested in the $499, 16GB model, another 19 percent said they would opt for the high-end, $829, 64GB model with 3G.
Working against the iPad, in the eyes of respondents: lack of a camera, no support for Adobe Flash, and no multitasking. Most consumers also said they will use the iPad for a variety of functions, suggesting it will serve more as a netbook than an e-reader.
The study also found the iPad will also have an effect on sales of other Mac products: 25 percent of respondents said they will delay planned purchases of one or more Apple products due to the iPad. MacBook purchases will be delayed by 9 percent of respondents, while 10 percent were prospective iPhone buyers that will now postpone their purchase.
Apple on Friday announced that the Wi-Fi-only iPad will be available for purchase in the U.S. on , and the company will begin taking reorders on March 12. The 3G-capable model is expected to arrive stateside at the end of April, and overseas markets will receive both the Wi-Fi and 3G models at the end of the month as well.