Everybody Wants the iPad?

Previously I posted some third party data on demand for the forthcoming Apple tablet. For example, ChangeWave found that 18% of just over 3K US consumers surveyed said they were somewhat or very likely to purchase the device. Independently Retrevo found that $700 was the top price point for most people interested in the device.

Now SRG has published that larger numbers (n=1,200 US consumers) of people are interested, with roughly two-thirds of survey respondents expressing interest and 21% saying they’re very interested:

Nearly two-in-three U.S. consumers (63%) expressed interest in an Apple tablet, with 21% expressing strong interest, above the initial level of consumer interest SRG found for iPhone around the time of its release.

Here’s a nice graphic put together by SRG profiling those “very interested” (click to enlarge):

Men and women appear to be equally interested and 82% of very interested prospects are under 50. “This age profile is significantly older than the early iPod buyers as well as early iPhone adopters,” says SRG.

Price will be a big factor in how successful the device is out of the gate. Now discredited rumors were swirling earlier today that a German retailer had tweeted the price would be €499 (subsidized), €899 (unlocked) and priced in the US between $500-$600 and $1,000 accordingly.

The cheapest Macbook is $999. It would be a mistake for Apple to offer the unlocked version of the tablet at that price point. The 64GB iPod Touch is $399 so we know the iPad will fall between those numbers somewhere.

If Apple were really going to be smart about pricing it would offer the unlocked tablet at $700 and the subsidized version at $400.

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Related: The NY Times has an extensive article about the tablet-hopes and dreams of traditional media/publishers and whether consumers will pay for content on the device as they do on the iPhone. Android users are far less willing to pay for apps, partly because the experience isn’t as easy.

As I’ve posted about repeatedly people express general unwillingness to pay for content in surveys. However, I suspect that if Apple provides a great device that offers a great experience people will pay. We have only 24 more hours to see what shows up.

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