American consumers who purchased Apple's latest iPad cite the high-resolution retina display as the device's best feature but dislike the hefty price tag, according to the results of a survey published April 2.
The survey was conducted by ChangeWave Research, a service of 451 Research, over the period March 22-28 among 2,000 consumers who purchased the new iPad.
Consumers were asked what they "like[ed] best" and "what they dislike[d] most" about the new iPad; each respondent was allowed to choose a maximum of three answers.
Seventy-five percent of respondents cited the "high-resolution retina display" as their favorite feature of the new device, followed by "long battery life" in a distant second place with 22 percent and "4G LTE capability" in third place with 21 percent.
In terms of dislikes, the hefty price tag, around $499, topped the list, irritating 26 percent of respondents, followed by the "cost of the wireless data plan," which 23 percent of respondents disliked. The "size/weight" of Apple's new device and the "amount of flash memory storage" were seen as jointly unlikeable by 8 percent of respondents.
On March 20 the new iPad was criticized by Consumer Reports, which found that the device reached temperatures of 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46.6 Celsius) while running the action game Infinity Blade II. This temperature was significantly higher than that reached on the iPad 2 and was identified by 7 percent of respondents as something they disliked about the device.
The top responses when asked "What do you like best about the new iPad?" were (respondents could choose up to three responses):
01. High-resolution retina display (75%)
02. Long battery life (22%)
03. 4G LTE capability (21%)
04. Speed of device/ faster processor (20%)
05. 5 mega pixel iSight Camera (18%)
06. Number of apps (13%)
07. Ease of use (12%)
08. Dictation/ voice recognition feature (10%)
09. Screen size (9%)
10. Size/weight (9%)
The top responses when asked "What do you dislike most about the new iPad?" were (respondents could choose up to three responses):
01. Cost of the new iPad (26%)
02. Cost of wireless data plan (23%)
03. Size/weight (8%)
04. Amount of flash memory storage (8%)
05. Integration with other devices (7%)
06. Excessive heat coming from the device (7%)
07. Battery life too short (6%)
