iPad tops consumer interest survey

With new entrants to the New Zealand tablet market starting to arrive, a survey conducted in the US has found that the iPad is the foremost device in consumers’ minds by a country mile.

The study, conducted by Robert W Baird, found that out of 1100 potential tablet purchasers, 94.5% felt the Apple iPad was a device of interest.

Hewlett-Packard’s TouchPad was next at 10.3%, followed by the Motorola Xoom (8.3%) and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (8.2%). No other device breached 5%.

The results come as reports start surfacing of disappointing sales for the TouchPad, which boasts HP’s own webOS operating system.

According to All Things Digital, fewer than 10% of the TouchPads delivered to retailer Best Buy have been sold, prompting the store’s management to refuse payment for the devices.

In New Zealand, HP has just dropped the price of the TouchPad by over $100, saying the new pricing is to help ‘drive momentum’. Read the full story here.