In another sign that tablets are likely to be one of the hottest categories at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, CNET's second annual holiday survey found that iPads top consumer wish lists. When asked what they'd want as a holiday gift if cost were not an issue, an Apple iPad 3G with unlimited music and apps beat out a variety of great and potentially lucrative gifts, including universal healthcare, maid service for a year, a lifetime membership in Netflix and an amazon Kindle preloaded with 2,000 books.
"For the past couple of years, we've seen many different types of products in the tablet category, but this is the year where tablets like the Apple iPad are in high demand," noted Scott Ard, editor in chief at CNET in a statement. "With the emergence and rapid acceptance of mobile apps, tablets have become the must-have item for the entire family to enjoy."
In the consumer electronics category, men named LCD/LED/Plasma TVs as their top category, with 18% asking for TVs, followed by laptops (10%) and tablets (9%). Women, in contrast, put tablets on top (15%), followed by smartphones (12%) and TVs (12%.)
The survey also found that consumers are planning to spend $815 on holiday gifts this year, a 10% pop over last year and that 43% of that budget will go to consumer electronics. Despite some recent poor economic news, 33% of those who took the online survey think the economy is better this holiday season than last.
