New iPad eyed by 42 percent of current owners surveyed
The next iPad will potentially end up in the shopping carts of 42 percent of current iPad owners surveyed by price comparison site PriceGrabber.
Though not yet out, the new iPad has already won over a healthy chunk of current iPad owners.
A full 42 percent of existing iPad owners said they'll buy the iPad 3, aka iPad HD, when it's released, according to a recent PriceGrabber survey. Among all the people surveyed by the site, 22 percent already own a tablet, and out of those, 52 percent own an iPad.
Conducted between February 23 and March 2, PriceGrabber's survey reached from 1,829 online shoppers in the U.S.
Of the current iPad owners who plan to buy the new iPad, 39 percent said they'll snag it before year's end. Another 30 percent said they'll grab it within the first year of release. But 20 percent want it within the first month and 11 percent within the first week.
Those surveyed were also asked which features would be most important to them in opting for the new iPad. Many came up with more of a wish list than with items likely to surface on the next iPad.
A full 54 percent pointed to cost reduction, an optimistic sentiment since the new iPad isn't likely to be cheaper than its predecessor. Early rumors had claimed it might even be more expensive, but the latest intel suggests that prices will be comparable.
Trailing close behind, 52 percent cited a better battery. The iPad 2's battery life is rated at around 10 hours. The new tablet is expected to include 4G LTE support, which has proven to be a drain on the battery power of 4G devices. But Apple has reportedly resolved some of the issues with battery life on its own.
"Our industry checks indicate Apple has made notable progress in improving battery life that has plagued competitors," Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said in a recent report. "This is due to Apple's ownership of core intellectual property including systems design, semiconductors, battery chemistry, and software."
Some of those polled listed items that almost certainly won't pop up on the new iPad, such as an SD card slot and a built-in HDMI port.
Others cited the new A6 processor. However, new reports suggest the iPad will be powered by the A5X chip.
Some surveyed mentioned a better camera with flash on their most-wanted list. A flash may not be part of the picture. But rumors have surfaced that the new iPad will include an HD front-facing camera to offer FaceTime users better-quality video calls.
Finally, others pointed to the Retina Display and Siri, two features very likely to grace the new iPad.
We'll know for sure which items do pop up on Apple's latest tablet when CNET live-blog's today's event starting at 9:30 a.m. PT.