The ChangeWave research group (http://www.changewave.com) has completed two surveys on the Apple iPad -- including a May consumer survey measuring future iPad demand, and a second survey of new iPad owners on their actual reactions to the new tablet device.

Back in their February iPad survey report ChangeWave found that the pre-launch demand for the new iPad was greater than the pre-launch demand for the original iPhone. It wasn’t surprising, therefore, when in early May Apple announced one million iPads sold in the first month -- and reported that sales had outpaced those of the original iPhone.

But now that that the iDevice has been on the market for several weeks, ChangeWave has just completed two new surveys: a May survey of 3,174 consumers to measure future demand for the iPad, and a second survey of 153 new iPad owners to discover their actual impressions of the new tablet device.

Consumer demand for the Apple tablet going forward is even stronger than the extraordinary pre-launch demand ChangeWave recorded back in their February survey. A total of 7% of respondents now say they’re "Very Likely" to buy an iPad and another 13% say they are "Somewhat Likely " -- the highest level of consumer interest ChangeWave has seen to date, and far surpassing February’s pre-launch demand survey (in which 4% said "Very Likely" and 9% "Somewhat Likely").

ChangeWave also took a close-up look at the e-Reader market to gauge the iPad’s impact -- and their survey results show the iPad profoundly shaking up this market. As part of their May survey, 245 respondents identified themselves as currently owning an e-Reader. ChangeWave then asked this group to tell us which e-Reader they currently own.

Among eReader owners the Amazon Kindle (62%) remains the leader by a wide margin, but ChangeWave notes that the iPad (16%) is already registering a 16% share of the eReader market just weeks after its initial release.

Back in February 2010 and once again in May, ChangeWave asked eReader owners to tell of the type of content they were reading with their devices. When ChangeWave compares the responses from February (before the iPad launch) with the responses from May (after the iPad launch) the research group finds a major transformation in progress regarding eReader content.

The percentage reporting they read newspapers (18%) on their e-Reader has surged seven points since February -- as has the percentage who report they’re reading magazines (14%; up seven points also). A close-up look at ChangeWave's May results has uncovered major differences in the type of content being consumed by iPad readers vs. all other eReaders.

Fully half of iPad eReaders (50%) say they read newspapers on their tablet device compared to just 14% of all other eReader owners. Likewise, 38% of iPad eReaders say they read magazines compared to 11% of all other eReader owners. In short, more than 3 times as many iPad eReader owners say they read newspapers and magazines as do all other eReader owners.

ChangeWave also asked 153 new iPad owners a series of questions to garner their reactions to the new tablet device – beginning with their level of customer satisfaction. In terms of overall satisfaction, the vast majority of owners believe the iPad is delivering on its promises -- with three-in-four (74%) saying they’re "Very Satisfied" with their new tablet, and another 17% say they’re "Somewhat Satisfied."

The iPad ratings are nearly identical to the highest rated smart phone among consumers -- the iPhone. "But we note that Apple has now reached these nosebleed levels with a brand new product," notes ChangeWave.