Sour Opinion on iPad

With all of the hype surrounding the introduction of Apple’s iPad, it was practically impossible for the device to live up to the runaway expectations. While it’s impossible to please 100 percent of the crowd, Apple may be finding that as time goes on, people like what they see less and less.

Retrevo, an online electronics marketplace, conducted two separate surveys surrounding the iPad, one before the unveiling (conducted from Jan. 16 to Jan. 20) and one after (Jan. 27 to Feb. 3). The results are less than inspiring for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL).

Respondents were asked if they knew about the device, and those who replied, “Yes, I think I would like to buy one” tripled from 3 percent before launch to 9 percent after launch. Not bad for a device that hasn’t shipped or been reviewed. Those who said they want more information rose from 19 percent to 21 percent

But the number of people who said, “Yes, and I’m not interested in buying one” doubled from 26 percent to 52 percent. The “No, and I’m not interested” number dropped from 35 percent to 18 percent, which bodes well for Apple. It also shows about one in five people can somehow manage to avoid even the loudest of hype.

But there’s more bad news from the follow-up question. When asked if they think they will need one based on what they know about it, those who said “no” jumped from 49 percent to 61 percent. That’s not a good start. Those who said maybe, but wanted to know more fell from 30 percent to 15 percent, indicating a large number still are not sure. Those answering “maybe” remained virtually the same — 18 percent before, 19 percent after.

Read the rest at Internetnews.