Apple products top kids’ wish lists, Nielsen survey says

Wrap your head around this: In 2012, 48% of kids age 6 to 12 will ask Santa for an iPad, according to a new survey from Nielsen.

Each year Nielsen conducts two surveys, one of kids 6 to 12, the other of kids 13 and older to find out what they really want for Christmas (or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa). On Tuesday the company released the results of its 2012 survey of 3,000 kids. It found that the answer this year is no different than it was in 2011 and 2010: Kids want Apple products. Specifically, the iPad.

The iPad craving starts young. This year 48% of kids 6 to 12 said they were interested in buying (receiving?) an iPad in the next six months. That’s up from 44% who said they wanted an iPad in 2011. A full-sized iPad starts at $499.

Kids surveyed were not limited to picking just one gadget, and the next most popular item (for 39% of kids 6 to 12) was the Nintendo Wii U, which just launched over the weekend. The price for the Wii U is $350 to $400.

Thirty-six percent of kids said they want the iPod touch ($199). The same percentage said they want the iPad Mini ($329). The iPhone was the fifth most popular item on the list, with 33% of kids expressing interest in Apple’s smartphone.

When it came to kids 13 and older, only 21% said they hoped to get an iPad in the next six months. An almost equal number said they wanted a computer (19%) and a tablet other than an iPad (18%).

Only 14% of the older kids said they hoped to get an iPhone.

But we think that may be because many teenagers already have an iPhone. A survey by Piper Jaffray & Co. of 7,700 kids in October found that 40% of teenagers own an iPhone.

In other words, when it comes to older kids, Santa may have to get creative.

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