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72% of prospective tablet buyers plan to buy Apple's iPad - report

Consumers who intend to purchase a tablet within the next three months overwhelmingly say they will choose one of Apple's iPad models, a new survey shows.

The November study, from consumer research agency Changewave, showed that of the 13 percent of respondents who said they would be in the market for a tablet over the holiday season, less than one third would consider an option other than an iPad. Apple's 72 percent share represents a 17-point jump since the agency's August survey, conducted before the introduction of Apple's new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display.

None of Apple's competitors touched double digits in the most recent round. Samsung's Galaxy lineup dropped from 13 percent to 9 percent, Google's nexus from 12 percent to 9 percent, and Amazon's Kindle Fire from 6 percent to 5 percent. Purchase intent for Microsoft's Surface tablets ticked up slightly, from 7 percent to 8 percent.

Of the iPad buyers, 55 percent said they intended to purchase an iPad Air, while 16 percent would opt for the Retina display-equipped iPad mini. The iPad 2, interestingly, seems to be more appealing than the reduced-price first-generation iPad mini, with an additional 2 percent of consumers preferring the larger of the non-Retina tablets.

A further 17 percent were unsure which iPad they would buy.

Apple's iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display have proven popular, with robust sales despite constrained supplies of the 7.8-inch slate. The devices were met with rave reviews, especially the all-new iPad Air —  AppleInsider's hands-on review found the iPad Air to be "the best full-size tablet on the market today" and "the new standard" in tablets.