If the results of a recent survey by Nielsen are any indication, many parents will have to pay a pretty penny to satisfy their children's wishes this holiday season.  When the company polled children ages 6 to 12 on their gift preferences, Apple's pricy iPad tablet came out on top.

The Nielsen study was conducted in October of this year.  Two separate groups were surveyed.  The younger group was made up of the aforementioned 6 to 12 year old crowd, while the other consisted of those ages 13 and up.  Participants were asked to rank electronics according to the level of interest they had in purchasing the products within the next six months.  Participants were given a list of 17 products to rank in order of purchasing preference, including the iPad, computers, gaming consoles like the PlayStation 3, the iPhone, Blu-ray players, E-readers, televisions, the iPod Touch, Nintendo DS, and more.

The groups kids aged 6 to 12 chose the iPad as the most preferred product, as it gained a 31 percent share of the votes.  Computers and the iPod Touch came in a tie for second place with 29 percent.  The portable gaming system known as the Nintendo DS came in fourth with 25 percent.  In terms of gaming consoles, Sony's PlayStation 3 was the favorite over the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360.  Smartphones other than the iPhone and other mobile phones were slightly ahead of the iPhone in popularity amongst kids as well.  Motion-based gaming consoles like the PlayStation Move and the Kinect for Xbox 360 were near the bottom of the list.  It's not surprise that E-Readers came in dead last, with just 11 percent expressing interest in purchasing one within the next six months.

The 13 and up crowd appears to favor more traditional devices.  Computers took the top spot in the older age group, holding a 20 percent share of the votes.  Televisions and non-iPhone smartphones come in at a tie for second place with 19 percent.  The iPad, Blu-ray players, E-readers, the Nintendo Wii, and the iPhone make up the rest of the top eight, in that order.

The high rankings for traditional devices such as computers, televisions, and smartphones amongst the 13+ crowd suggest that many may be looking to upgrade or replace their older items within the next six months, as compared to the younger group that prefers newer technologies like the iPad.  The bottom five ranked devices selected by the older group include the PlayStation Move, the Kinect for Xbox 360, the Nintendo DS, the Nintendo 3DS, and the PlayStation Portable.  These are all gaming-centric devices that do not perform as many functions as others that are ranked higher, suggesting that older buyers may place more emphasis on products that aid in productivity as well.

The results of the Nielsen study coincide with others to show how fresh Apple is in the minds of young consumers.  Last month the Duracell Toy Report was released, and it indicated that approximately 40 percent of youths aged 5 to 16 wanted an iPad, an iPod Touch, or an iPhone 4 during the 2010 holiday season.

For more on this topic, visit http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20023667-17.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks

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