Tablets Are the Most-Wanted Gadget this Holiday Season

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to just assume that tablets are going to sell well this holiday season. After all, this has been the case pretty much since Apple released the first iPad back in 2010 but has been reinforced in recent years thanks to the availability of cheaper tablets like the Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire. Then there’s the fact that Gartner predicts tablet shipments will match PC shipments next year, with this holiday season likely to be a prelude to the trend.

That said, it’s always nice to get some exact figures, which consumer electronics trade-in site Gazelle has provided.

Based on a survey of more than 900 consumers aged 18 years and older, Gazelle found that many people are hoping to receive a tablet this holiday season. Specifically, some 40 percent of respondents said a tablet is on their want list, while 30 percent are planning to give a tablet to friends and family.

Meanwhile, PCs are down but not out this holiday season as a respectable 32 percent of respondents hope to receive a new laptop or desktop. Smartphones, on the other hand, are considered a must-have item by only 15 percent of consumers, likely because of the fact that most people already have one. Finally, 14 percent of respondents are hoping to receive an e-reader this year.

Fortunately, these numbers more or less work out on the side of the giver as 27 percent of respondents say they’ll be giving a computer this year, while 22 percent plan to gift a smartphone and 18 percent will give an e-reader.

As for the actual act of shopping, analyst firm Ovum reports that, even though most people want a tablet, they don’t want to shop with one. Indeed, most online shoppers will opt for a PC this year simply because they feel safer doing so.