Two weeks ago, the new iPad hit the market with a bang. But now that the Apple tablet is in the hands of consumers, what is their initial reaction towards the new device?
A March 22-28 survey of 200 new owners looked at their impressions of the new Apple iPad, including overall satisfaction with the device, key likes and dislikes, and the impact of the heat issue.
Customer Satisfaction
User satisfaction with the new iPad is even higher than previous iPad ratings from a February 2012 ChangeWave survey. More than four-out-of-five new iPad owners (82%) say they are Very Satisfied with the device. Another 16% say they’re Somewhat Satisfied.
Here is a head-to-head comparison of the new iPad user survey results with previous iPad user results from the February 2012 ChangeWave survey.
Top iPad Likes and Dislikes
We also queried new iPad owners on the specific features they liked best and disliked most:
What do you like best about the new iPad? (Choose No More Than Three)
By a landslide, the High-Resolution “Retina” Display (75%) is what new iPad owners report they like best about the device. Long Battery Life (22%) comes in a distant second, followed by 4G LTE Capability (21%) and the Faster Processor (20%)
New iPad Dislikes
When asked what they dislike most about their new iPad, users cited the Cost of the Device (26%) and the Cost of the Wireless Data Plan (23%) as their two biggest gripes.
And what do you dislike most about the new iPad? (Choose No More Than Three)
Two other issues were each cited by 8% of owners – the iPad’s Size/Weight and its Amount of Flash Memory Storage.
Additional dislikes mentioned include its Integration with Other Devices (7%), Excessive Heat Coming From the Device (7%) and Battery Life (6%). No other issue was cited by more than 5% of new owners.
A Closer Look At The iPad ‘Heat’ Issue
In a recent release, Consumer Reports stated that the new iPad can heat up to as much as 116 degrees Fahrenheit when plugged in and continually running a game. While the consumer publication considered this to be “very warm,” they said it wasn’t especially uncomfortable if held for brief periods and they didn’t consider it to be a safety concern.
How much of a problem for you – if any – is the issue of excessive heat coming from your new iPad?
Only 4% of new iPad owners found the issue of excessive heat to be Somewhat of a Problem for them, and 0% found it to be a Very Big Problem. Moreover, the vast majority of new owners reported they Haven’t Experienced any Problem (89%).
Simply put, the heat issue does not appear to be a perceived problem for the overwhelming majority of new iPad owners.
The complete ChangeWave report is available here.
Source: ChangeWave Research, a service of 451 Research.