GreenBkk Tech | Survey: iPad trails computer mouse on seniors' holiday gift lists

Survey: iPad trails computer mouse on seniors' holiday gift lists

Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)

By Mark Milian, CNN

The mouse may not seem like a sought-after gift, but it's a popular desired gadget among older consumers, says a new survey

(CNN) -- Some technology prognosticators see the success of touch-screen tablets as an eventual death knell for the computer mouse.

But don't tell grandpa, or even dad.

Tablet computers, including Apple's iPad, are getting a lot of hype as potential gifts this holiday season. But a new survey found that on older folks' wish lists, they lag behind the plain old computer mouse.

Tablets ranked as the fifth-hottest electronic item for this holiday season among Millennials, those born from the late-1970s to the early-2000s, according to a survey by consumer research firm Parks Associates.

For folks over 65, the computer mouse ranks third in a list of consumer electronics they plan to get, the report said. The survey questioned 2,529 Americans earlier this month on their immediate technology buying plans.

For Gen Xers -- mostly people born in the 1970s -- tablets were No. 10 on that list. The tablet category didn't crack the top 10 for the older two generations of people surveyed: baby boomers and seniors.

The iPad tops wish lists for children age 6 to 12, according to a report from research firm Nielsen. For people older than 12, computers rank first, with the iPad at No. 4, the study said.

In another report from market research veterans NPD, 11 percent of consumers say they plan to buy an iPad by February. That's good news for Apple, which is facing increased competition from Research in Motion and manufacturers ramping up production of tablets running Google's Android software, such as Samsung.

Electronics research firm DisplaySearch acknowledges the influx of tablets this year, saying, "Clearly, there was an 'iPad Effect' in the portable PC market."

Topping every age group's list in that first survey are flat-screen televisions, which continue to see strong demand. The older people surveyed ranked digital cameras as their top choice, another relic being replaced by touch-screen smartphones, some tech experts say.

NPD reports that about two out of every five digital cameras sold last year were bought during November or December.

Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)