Kids and Adults Want iPads More Than Anything Else This Holiday Season

According to a survey done by Nielsen, U.S. consumers aged 6-12 are significantly more interested in purchasing Apple's iOS products over the next 6 months. The new Nintendo Wii U took the #2 spot, but lagged well behind the iPad. Meanwhile, the iPod Touch, iPad Mini and the iPhone rounded out the rest of the top 5 most wanted products for this age group.

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Approximately half the children surveyed expressed interest in the full-sized iPad (up from 44% last year), and 36 percent in the new iPad Mini. The iPod Touch and iPhone are also coveted devices among these young consumers (36% and 33%, respectively). Kids are also likely to ask for dedicated gaming hardware this holiday, with 39 percent excited to own Nintendo’s just-released console offering, Wii U, and 29 percent indicating they want a device from that company’s portable DS family. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 also proved appealing, with approximately one-quarter of kids 6-12 saying they want these high definition consoles.

Nielsen also surveyed persons aged 13+ and found the iPad also topped that list. The remainder of the 13+ year old list was less dramatically in favor of Apple than the 6-12 year old group.

In a separate survey of (presumably) adults, Reuters found that one third of U.S. consumers were thinking of buying a tablet this holiday season. Amongst those who wanted a tablet, the iPad was again the most popular with 25% of respondents planning to purchase one. Second and third place went to the Kindle (15%) and Samsung (15%) tablets. Finally, Apple's new iPad mini came in at 8% amongst respondents.

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Top Rated Comments

camnchar Avatar
168 months ago
Only 4 out of the top 5 spots? Apple is doomed.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Worf Avatar
168 months ago
iPad on the top of the most wanted list and Microsoft Surface on the bottom? This is a surprise only to Ballmer.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rjohnstone Avatar
168 months ago
They have the means; they're known as parents. If the kids howl loudly and persistently enough, the parents are the ones who will buy the devices. And apparently, this "sluggish" economy hasn't stopped adults from snapping up Apple products by the boatload.
I guess I raised my kids better.
The louder they cried about wanting something, the less interested I was in getting it for them.

They always hear the same two words from me.
Earn it.
Show me straight A's for an entire school year.
Clean up after yourself without having to be told to do it 50 times.
Save your allowance money and buy it yourself.

The list goes on.

Howling about wanting an expensive toy in my house is a sure fire way to get nothing.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topmounter Avatar
168 months ago
When I was a kid, we were happy to get a bowl of soup and a piece of hard candy.

Now kids are so fat they can barely leave the house and all they want are things that will insure that they remain fat.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fel10 Avatar
168 months ago
WOW, kids are spoiled these days. No wonder there are so many brats out there.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rjohnstone Avatar
168 months ago
I would like to know how many 6-12 year old kids can afford to buy anything on that list?

Interest is meaningless without the means to follow through.

I'm interested in a Ferrari. Never mind that I can't afford one.

The adult survey has more relevance.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)