According to the findings of a recent ChangeWave Research survey, Apple's forthcoming iPad will likely disrupt e-reader business - with nearly 40 percent of the survey respondents planning to buy an e-reader, thinking of going in for the iPad.

The survey - which questioned 3,171 American consumers in February about their near-future purchase plans, especially those pertaining to the Apple iPad - found that overall 4 percent consumers said that they were "very likely" to buy the iPad after its release; while 9 percent said that they were "somewhat likely" to buy the device.

Asked whether they would buy an e-reader in the next three months, and if yes, which one; 40 percent respondents said they would buy an iPad; while 28 percent, 6 percent, and 1 percent respectively ticked the Amazon Kindle; the Barnes & Noble's Nook; and the Sony Reader.

In addition, more than one in four people who have already bought some other device said that they would have purchased the iPad if it had been released earlier.

Reporting the findings, ChangeWave's director of research Paul Carton said: "The iPad is all but certain to have a transformational impact on the e-reader market going forward. While a handful of e-reader manufacturers, most prominently Amazon, clearly have a major head start, the survey findings show the iPad is poised to profoundly shake up this market."