Apple's iPad favored among vast majority of would-be tablet buyers
Apple's iPad is so popular that it will be just about the only tablet consumers are looking to buy this summer, according to new data from ChangeWave Research.The research firm today revealed the results of a survey of nearly 2,900 consumers, finding that 73 percent of those who expect to buy a tablet in the next 90 days are planning to go with the iPad. Just 8 percent of respondents said that they will be buying the Amazon Kindle Fire in that period. Samsung's Galaxy Tab followed with interest from 6 percent of respondents. No other vendor was able to hit more than 3 percent.The big surprise from ChangeWave's study, however, might be the Kindle Fire's fall from grace in the tablet market. When the tablet launched late last year, 22 percent of respondents in a prior ChangeWave study indicated that they planned to buy the Kindle Fire. That figure dropped to 7 percent in March before rising to 8 percent this time around.The issue for the Kindle Fire might be its satisfaction rating among owners. Back in February, ChangeWave released another study that found that just 54 percent of Kindle Fire owners were "very satisfied" with the tablet. Although that was higher than the average non-Apple device, which tallied just 49 percent satisfaction, it was far below the iPad's 74 percent rating."Kindle Fire planned buying is now down two-thirds since November 2011, and a clue to Amazon's problem can be seen in the tablet satisfaction ratings of its owners," ChangeWave said today in a statement accompanying its research.To make matters worse, Apple is rumored to be planning to take the Kindle Fire on with a 7-inch iPad Mini that could be closer in price to Amazon's option. If that happens, there's no telling how demand for the Kindle Fire might be impacted.Related video:This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
