Apple Faces iPad Challenge: Survey

CUPERTINO, Calif. TheStreet -- Love it or hate it, Apple's(AAPL) iPad continues to grab the headlines, although a new survey says that the tech giant is struggling to convince consumers to buy the technology.

Apple's many devotees will undoubtedly greet the survey's findings with skepticism, particularly at a time when conflicting studies of the iPad's popularity are emerging.

Online electronics retailer Retrovo recently circulated two surveys to customers to gauge responses to Apple's latest product offering. The first survey, sent out to 1,000 randomly-selected consumers, took place in mid-January before the iPad launch; the second came after the iPad's glitzy debut.

Despite all the media brouhaha surrounding the iPad, Retrovo says that the device has received something of a lukewarm reception from consumers.

Unsurprisingly, the number of people who said they were aware of the iPad tablet device jumped from 48% to 82% in the two surveys, although Retrovo found many consumers unwilling to spend money on the new tech.

In the company's initial study, some 26% of respondents said that they had heard of the iPad but were not interested in buying one -- a figure that climbed to 52% in the second survey.

Consumers were also asked whether they thought they needed an iPad. In the first study, some 49% responded no, with even more people -- 61% -- giving the same answer after the iPad's launch.

Priced between $499 and $829, the iPad comes with a capacity of either 16-Gbytes, 32-Gbytes of 64-Gbytes. Wi-Fi versions of the technology will ship in late March, with 3G iPads coming in April.