Survey Says: iPad 2 is the Second Most Popular Tablet for First-Time Buyers

Published March 15, 2012

By Lindsay Sakraida, dealnews Features Director

There will always be a deluge of people who immediately buy the latest and greatest from Apple. In fact, dealnews conducted a reader survey and discovered that 55% of current iPad owners said they would update to the third generation — even though it's only been a year since the second generation was released, and just two years since the first generation.

But what about consumers who are currently tablet-free and finally ready to jump aboard the slate train? The still-beating iPad 2 is now priced to sell at $399 retail, and we've already seen a deal spring up for $360, making it an extremely enticing option. There are also quite a few Android tablets making waves after CES. So how many of said tablet-less consumers will still opt for the new iPad?

Well, according to the survey, a whopping 78% of non-tablet owners who are planning on buying their first device within the next year said they'll spring for the newest offering from Apple. And, of the people who aren't buying the new iPad (the remaining 22%), almost half will buy a previous generation — specifically, 60% plan on buying the iPad 2 within the next six months. Why? Because the iPad 2 is now cheaper.

It's also worth noting that the other half of that 22% said they would buy an Android tablet over any Apple iPad. But since this lumped together all Android models, the iPad 2 comes out ahead, thus making it the second most popular tablet amongst first-time buyers. And, despite recent accusations about poor working conditions for Apple's Chinese factory workers, only 3% of respondents said these issues have prevented them from buying the new iPad. For more interesting tidbits, check out our nifty infographic below.

Did you preorder a third generation iPad? Are any of you instead waiting to see what upcoming Android- or Windows-based models have to offer? Or will you pick up a discounted iPad 2 instead? Sound off in the comments below.

Front page photo credit: Pocket-Lint

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