Apple tablet: 70% won't spend more than $700, survey says

70 percent of consumers won't spend more than $700 for an Apple tablet, and consumers were equally split over whether they would pay for 3G connectivity, according to a new study.

According to a new survey by Retrevo, 44 percent of consumers said they would not buy the rumored iTablet or iPad if it required a monthly data plan, while 39 percent said they wouldn't buy one without it.

75 percent of respondents said they wouldn't buy the tablet unless it had a battery life of more than six hours.

Interestingly, owners of iPhones said they preferred an iTablet that ran iPhone apps (rather than Mac apps) by a 3 to 2 margin.

Further, 38 percent of women said they wanted an e-book store -- compared to just 25 percent of men.

Overall, most respondents expected Apple to release some sort of iSlate device, and most said it would have a 10-inch touchscreen and run iPhone or Mac OS apps.

More takeaways:

• 40 percent of women said they want to see solar power on the tablet,  compared to just 33 percent of men.
• Most respondents said they didn't care which OS the tablet would use.
• While 70 percent of respondents said a device over $700 would be a deal-killer, that means almost one-third of consumers would indeed spend more than that.
• About half of respondents said they didn't think they needed a tablet computer.

The survey was made from more than 500 randomly selected Retrevo users between Jan. 16 and 20, 2010.

But that's not all. Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal reported new information on the coming tablet.

Such revelations include:

• Apple wants to "reshape businesses like textbooks, newspapers and television much the way his iPod revamped the music industry—and expand Apple's influence and revenue as a content middleman."
• Apple has spoken with the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Conde Nast, Harper Collins and others about publishing partnerships.
• The tablet is designed to be used and shared by several people in a household to read news and check e-mail.
• The tablet will have a virtual keyboard.
• Apple is working with Electronic Arts for the tablet's gaming capabilities.
• Apple's rethinking content distribution: we're talking e-books and newspaper content through iTunes, or TV show bundles.
• Apple wants to launch a web-based version of iTunes by June.

Interesting.

How much would you pay for an Apple tablet?

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