The iPad tops children’s wish lists

By Aemon Malone November 24, 2010

With Black Friday nearly upon us gift ideas are starting to cross people’s minds. And Parents, be warned: your child may be disappointed if there’s not a certain tablet computer under the Christmas tree this year. According to a Nielsen survey, Apple’s iPad is the number one item desired by children aged six through 12 beating out a computer (no particular brand specified) and an iPod touch. 31 percent of kids surveyed said they were hoping for an iPad with both a computer and iPod touch tying for second place with 29 percent of kids placing them on their lists.

The Nielsen survey is officially titled “Interest in Buying in the Next Six Months,” but is widely taken as an indicator of popular holiday items among kids this season. Kids obviously didn’t have to choose just one item and simply had to indicate if they were interested in acquiring a given item or not.

Console systems were the next most popular with Nintendo’s DS portable gaming system coming in at number four and Sony’s Playstation 3 at number five, desired by 25 and 21 percent of children respectively. An Apple product appeared for a third time on the list at number eight with 20 percent of preteens wanting an iPhone. E-readers were the least desired item surveyed with 13 percent of kids showing interest.

Among members of the population aged thirteen and older, the iPad still remains popular with 18 percent saying they were interested in the tablet. The older crowd ranked a computer at number one (20 percent), followed by a television (nineteen percent), and a smartphone (also nineteen percent).

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The survey makes clear that the iPad’s popularity is still going strong even as rival table products, such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, begin to enter into the market. The big surprise is that the device beat out the Playstation 3 and Nintendo DS for the top spot among preteens. Grant it, the iPad is much newer, but it also indicates that the iPad is succeeding in appealing to a younger demographic who are most likely interested in the entertainment potential of gadgets.

Nintendo will be reassured to see interest among kids in its forthcoming Nintendo 3DS portable gaming system which is not expected to launch until sometime during next spring.

Nielsen conducted the surveys in October.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mobile

Hurry! This iPad just crashed back to its Black Friday price

The iPad on a tablet displaying web content.

If you've always wanted to buy an iPad but the latest releases are beyond your budget, you may want to consider going for a previous-generation model like the 2021 Apple iPad. The tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, which is already relatively affordable at $330, is currently even cheaper from Best Buy, as an $80 discount pulls its price down to $250. That's what the device was going for during the iPad deals of Black Friday 2023, so if you missed the chance to take advantage of that bargain, proceed with your purchase immediately to make sure this opportunity doesn't slip away.

Why you should buy the 2021 Apple iPad
The ninth-generation Apple iPad, which was released in 2021, will be three years old in several months. However, it's still listed in our roundup of the best iPads as the best iPad on a budget, as it still offers great performance by today's standards with Apple's A13 Bionic chip that also powered the iPhone 11 series. The tablet also features a 10.2-inch Retina display with 2160 x 1620 resolution, for sharp details and vivid colors when you're browsing the internet, watching streaming shows, and playing mobile games.

Mobile

Apple’s new iPad Pro and iPad Air just got delayed

Someone holding an iPad Air against a wooden floor.

It seems like the countdown to the next iPad reveal has been stretched out a bit more, though not by an earth-shattering amount of time. So far, we’ve heard rumors of a late March or early April reveal, but that likely won’t happen, according to a new report from Apple insider Mark Gurman.

In his latest Bloomberg report, Gurman says the next Apple tablets should arrive in early May, and he cited the speeding up of production at Apple’s suppliers. Interestingly, production-related challenges apparently pushed back the launch of the new slates across the Pro and Air lineups.

Mobile

Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal

The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.