A new survey conducted by Nielsen suggests that this year’s holiday season is shaping up to be a boom period for electronic-gear vendors — with Apple’s iPad at the top of many wish lists. Among American kids between six and 12 years old, for example, the iPad led the pack with a 31 percent interest score, followed by a new computer and Apple’s iPod.
Older U.S. consumers appear to be a tad more interested in upgrading to a next-generation computer, TV set, or smartphone, Nielsen observed. Still, 18 percent of all U.S. respondents over the age of 13 also indicated an interest in buying Apple’s red-hot tablet, although Blu-Ray players and e-readers also appeared to have good traction with teens and adults.
“Given the continued pressure on consumer spending, it is difficult to know how robust a holiday season this will be for tech devices,” Nielsen noted in a Tuesday blog. “But this survey suggests the electronics aisle will be heavily traveled this season.”
Netbooks Lose Their Luster
NPD Group noted Tuesday that holiday-season purchases made up about 33 percent of total technology sales over the past three years, with revenue averaging $48 billion in the fourth quarter. This time around, interest in Apple’s iPad is high among prospective shoppers of all ages, the research firm’s analysts noted, with 11 percent of the respondents to NPD’s survey saying they are likely to purchase one by February.
However, Nielsen said a new computer actually topped the shopping lists of 20 percent of all U.S. consumers 13 years of age and older. The response is a bit surprising, given that 97 percent of households already have a computer, according to NPD.
The research firm also noted that 58 percent of Windows PC owners already own two or more machines and 86 percent…