American Kids Wish for the iPad for Christmas

This year American children are dreaming of a Santa Claus who can make their technological wishes come true by placing Steve Jobs’ newest magical toy under their tree. According the Nielsen Gaming Report poll, 31 percent of children [ages] six to 12 years wish for the iPad, a traditional computer comes in second place, and in third, another Apple invention, the iPod touch. Next on the list are the gaming systems Nintendo DS (25 percent) and Playstation 3 (21 percent), smartphones and the iPhone with 20 percent, the Nintendo Wii with 18 percent and another new addition to the gaming console market, the Kinect for Xbox 360, which is already showing up on 14 percent of the tech-savvy tykes’ wish lists.

Among teens 13 years and older, 20 percent voted a PC into the top spot, followed by TV digital converters (19 percent) and smartphones (19 percent). The iPad comes in fourth place, with 18 percent of the vote.

Children’s Christmas wish lists might not be granted this year. Notwithstanding the timid signs of a strengthening economy, the U.S. GDP grew 2.5 percent in the third trimester of the year, versus the +2 percent projected growth. To know if Americans have regained faith in the economy, we will have to wait for Black Friday, the day dedicated to holiday-sale shopping. The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend $138 million, $4 [million] more than last year.

In the meantime, large chain stores are pulling out all the stops to capitalize on this special day by extending hours from 7 to 10 p.m., investing in advertisements, even in the social media, to announce special sales up to 80 percent (Wal-Mart will be selling Barbies for $5) and offering special customer services to make the shopping experience more enjoyable for their clients.

Italy’s Outlook

If English moms predict a more limited budget for the holidays (505 pounds versus 604 in 2009), the Italians do not seem ready to spend much either. The first estimates from the national agency Federconsumatori predict a 5 percent drop in toy sales and a 15 percent reduction in apparel. The only exception is the high-tech market, led by TV and decoders, due to the switch to digital (occurring on Nov. 26 for Piedmont and Lombardy). The high-tech sector will see growth between 2 and 3 percent.