"iPad hoopla" has passed, according to a survey by electronics shopping site Retrevo, and consumers have lost interest after the product's unveiling less than two weeks ago. More than twice as many respondents said they were uninterested after the iPad was announced compared to a week prior. Of course, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics—three times as many said they were confident they would buy one after finding out the product's details.

Retrevo did similar surveys to gauge interest in Apple's new portable touchscreen device both before it was announced and after. The week prior to Apple's big media event, 26 percent of those surveyed said they knew about the device but weren't interested. After the announcement, that number jumped to 52 percent. However, 3 percent said they would buy an iPad sight unseen. The number that would buy an iPad after Steve Jobs showed it off went up to 9 percent.

Another 21 percent of those surveyed said they were still interested but wanted to know more about the iPad. Chances are these folks would prefer to try one out before buying, or get the opinion of a trusted friend before making a decision. Still, that represents a 30 percent interest among Retrevo's site visitors. That compares favorably with just 22 percent that knew about the device and were interested before the announcement.

Just 18 percent steadfastly claimed to still know nothing about that iPad and not care one way or the other.

Retrevo also noted that many consumers feel they don't need an iPad. Almost half of respondents said before the announcement that they didn't need one, and 61 percent said after the announcement that it was unneeded. True, a touchscreen multimedia browsing device with a 9.7" screen may not be for everyone, but almost double—5 percent—say they definitely need one after seeing the details. Another 19 percent are sitting on the fence, while an additional 15 percent need to know more to make up their minds.

A final survey question post-announcement queried consumers about whether they felt the $130 upgrade to 3G data was worth it. 59 percent said no, while just 12 percent said yes. The rest were still undecided. However, it's worth noting that most people still aren't aware that the extra $130 also includes GPS hardware in addition to the 3G cellular radio, making it additionally useful for navigation.

It's no surprise to us, however, that consumers overall are less interested in 3G, which comes with additional monthly data charges. Unless you travel or are away from home often, it may not be worth the additional investment. The upside is that data plans for the iPad don't require a contract, so you have the option of only activating data service in months when it is needed most.

Still, there's seven weeks yet before the WiFi-only version goes on sale, and another month to wait before the 3G models roll out and, frankly, it's too soon to tell how popular the iPad will be with consumers. Our feeling is that it will have wide appeal with a variety of users that might have a clunky, old computer (or none at all), don't use high-tech smartphones, and are interested in a small, simple device for casual computing needs.