Twenty-three percent of all mobile WiFi consumers plan to buy Apple?s iPad in the next year, according to JiWire.

The company claims that it saw about 5,000 sessions from iPad users in public WiFi venues in less than 24 hours after the much-anticipated device debuted in stores. Additionally, JiWire predicts that although the 3G version is not yet available, the WiFi capability will be more popular.

?From over 850 survey responses, randomly selected across JiWire?s media channel, an exciting 23 percent of the on-the-go audience plans to buy an iPad in the next 12 months,? said Kevin McKenzie, founder of JiWire, San Francisco.

?Of the 23 percent of people who plan to buy an iPad, 57 percent own an Apple iPhone or iPod touch, 43 percent own a non-Apple mobile device, and 27 percent are BlackBerry owners,? he said.

?Looking at these stats, it appears the iPad is going to be the big crossover device for a lot of non-Apple mobile owners.?

JiWire is a mobile audience media company. The company recently released its fourth-quarter 2009 Mobile Audience Insights report that looks at consumer device usage.

IPads for everyone
According to the company, the iPad is not going to replace the iPhone or latptops, but will be the new device to get entertainment content while on the go. 

A larger trend of people are buying and using their devices to connect to the Internet and access entertainment content, specifically weather, news, travel, social networking and music.

Of the 5,000 sessions used in public WiFi venues in less than 24 hours, 22.6 percent of consumers connected in hotels, 37.4 percent connected in cafes and 34.8 percent connected in airports.

?Mobile marketing is less about the device and more about the audience,? Mr. McKenzie said. ?The audience has moved, and brands need to rethink their approach and change their strategies for reaching these dynamic new on-the-go consumers.

?The proliferation of technologies and devices is introducing numerous ways to connect to an inherently mobile audience,? he said.

Growing trend
JiWire believes the iPad will grow at a greater pace than the iPhone did as a result of consumers wanting more bandwidth over WiFi.

The proliferation of mobile devices connecting to WiFi has grown dramatically and there had been a rise in mobile devices accessing JiWire?s networks within the last year and even the last couple of quarters.

?The iPad consumer demand is indicative of a larger trend that people are buying and using their devices to connect to the Internet and access entertainment content while mobile,? Mr. McKenzie said.

 ?For the first time, people are not just bringing work on the go, but they are now bringing their 'living room' on the go,? he said.