About 45% of iPad owners are not happy about the timing of Apple's new iPad 4 launch, which comes just seven months after the debut of the iPad 3.

A new study by Toluna QuickSurveys — which was conducted among 2,000 consumers — revealed iPad owners are upset about how soon the company launched its next-generation tablet and, consequently, made the iPad 3 obsolete. The news came as a surprise to many fans when it was revealed on Tuesday at its iPad mini press event.

Half (50%) of iPad 3 owners say they were disgruntled about the launch of the iPad 4, followed by iPad 2 owners (45%) and first-generation iPad owners (40%).

In addition, one in four respondents believes Apple’s reputation has been tarnished after removing Google Maps from its iOS software update and replacing it with Apple Maps.

But the survey also found that consumers are ready and willing to purchase the 7.85-inch iPad mini, Apple's smallest tablet so far. About 15% say they will definitely buy the smaller tablet, while 32% say they would "probably buy it." Meanwhile, about 21% say they would purchase the iPad mini as a gift for the holidays.

However, when asked which device they would prefer among the iPad Mini, Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 Tablet, the Kindle came out on top with 46%, followed by the iPad Mini (40%) and Nexus (14%).

The findings also indicate that iPad owners are more likely to purchase the iPad Mini with 71% saying they would “definitely” or “probably” purchase the tablet. Respondents are most impressed by the size of the small, lightweight device (26%), followed by “speed and performance” (23%) and enhanced battery life (22%).