iPad and iPod lead demand from kids: Nielsen

Children 12 and under want an iPad even more than the game consoles that have almost always topped their lists for several years, Nielsen said today. About 31 percent of those aged six to 12 wanted an iPad, trumping both computers and the iPod touch at 29 percent each. Nintendo's DS line was stopped at 25 percent, while the PSP was well behind at just 14 percent.

Other standouts included the PS3 21 percent surging ahead of the Wii's 18 percent and clearly outranking the Xbox 360's 12 percent, even in a Kinect bundle (14 percent). The PlayStation Move add-on reached 17 percent. Although unrealistic, almost as many wanted an iPhone by name at 20 percent as did another smartphone or a basic cellphone, at 21 percent. Apple's phone was tied with TVs and the Nintendo 3DS, which won't make the holidays.

Only 16 percent wanted a dedicated Blu-ray player, and 11 percent wanted an e-reader like an Amazon Kindle.

Among everyone 13 and older, more generic devices like computers, (20 percent), TV and non-iPhone smartphones (19 each) came ahead of the iPad, which at 18 percent was the first present to be mentioned by name. The Wii was the next specific model to be named at 15 percent, followed by the iPhone and PS3 (13 percent) as well as the iPod touch (11 percent). The Xbox 360, the PlayStation move and other consoles or their add-ons were at nine percent or less, with the Sony PSP trailing at the back with five percent.

Apple has usually tried to target the iPad at an older audience than the iPod touch, but its popularity as a gaming platform has been high virtually since launch. TV advertising has also helped, since Apple promotes the iPad more heavily than many companies selling only computers.

By Electronista Staff