Since its initial release, the Apple iPad has been the de facto standard by which competing tablets are measured. But with the release of the iPad 2 just around the corner, can new tablets from Motorola, Research in Motion and a host of others successfully launch and compete?

During February, ChangeWave surveyed 3,091 consumers on tablet demand and future buying trends - including customer satisfaction, tablet cannibalization of other electronic devices, and consumer preference for wireless tablet services. The survey was completed just before Apple's iPad 2 announcement.

Tablet Demand Going Forward

Future tablet demand remains extraordinarily high among consumers - with better than one-in-four respondents (27%) saying they plan on buying a tablet device in the future. That's 2-pts higher than in a previous ChangeWave survey in November.

Focusing on just the next 90 days, 5% of respondents say they'll be purchasing a tablet within this time frame.

Once again Apple remains the overwhelming winner among planned buyers, with 82% of future tablet buyers saying they'll be purchasing an iPad.

Neither the Motorola Xoom (4%) - which hadn't been released yet at the time of the survey - nor the soon-to-be-released RIM/BlackBerry PlayBook (3%) have so far had a significant impact on iPad demand.

Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab (3%) has done little to date to slow the iPad's momentum.

It remains to be seen which of these tablet devices or other new entries in the market will be able to successfully compete. Each faces an uphill battle with the refreshed iPad 2 hitting the shelves tomorrow.

Tablet Cannibalization

To better understand the threat tablets pose to other electronic devices, we asked current Tablet owners whether there were any other products that they had originally planned on buying but had put on hold or canceled in order to purchase a tablet.

According to the survey findings, the two product lines most vulnerable to the tablet onslaught are: Laptops and eReaders.