Study: 27 Mil. Americans Planning Tablet Purchase

Similar to how the Eee PC was the netbook that launched a thousand others, it seems the iPad has awakened in us a desperate desire for slate PCs. However, despite the popularly of the Apple design, it seems many of us are waiting for something different before jumping on the tablet bandwagon.

Wired cites a recent report by Forrester Research which shows that, although millions of Americans plan to buy a tablet next year, only a small fraction of them are sold on the idea of an iPad. Forrester reports that currently, just 1.9 percent of U.S. online consumers already own a tablet device. However, 14 percent, or 27 million, of online consumers have plans to buy a tablet in the next year. Of this 14 percent, a reported 3.8 percent of people said they had they planned to buy an iPad.

The study, based on a survey on nearly 4,000 people, also found that despite very little in the way of public advertising, respondents had a knowledge of upcoming iPad competitors, such as HP's Slate, and current offerings from Archos and FusionGarage's web-tablet, the JooJoo.

Do you think you'll buy a tablet in the next 12 months/in 2011? If so, are you committed to an iPad or will you be looking elsewhere? Let us know in the comments below!

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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.