A market research firm says over one-third of U.S. consumers may replace their Windows-based computers with Apple’s iPad, which will hit shelves on Saturday.

According to Opinion Research Corp. (ORC), 35 percent of those polled said an iPad could eventually replace a laptop or desktop computer running Windows.

The research firm also said the vast majority of U.S. consumers – 71 percent – are familiar with the tablet device. Six percent of those polled plan on purchasing the device within a year and 1 percent plan to purchase one as soon as possible.

Those figures translate into immediate sales of 1 million devices, with that figure climbing to about 7 million by the end of the year. ORC’s predictions are slightly higher than those of market analysts cited by the firm, who predict iPad sales of 5 million by year-end.

“Adoption of new technologies is often a slow and gradual process,” ORC analyst Kevin Wood said in a report. “It wasn’t that long ago when the BlackBerry smartphone was only used by executives and road warriors. Adoption of the iPad will likely increase when consumers begin to grasp the extent to which the new technology will integrate with and enhance the way they work and play.”