One in seven children have asked their parents for a tablet computer this Christmas, according to research from Futuresource Consulting.
A survey of consumers in the US, UK, France and Germany reveals that the US leads the way in pester power, with a significant 23pc of the parents surveyed saying that their child has asked for a tablet.
The UK and France are close behind at 14pc and 13pc respectively, with Germany lagging the trend at 8pc. Of the 4,000 people surveyed, 32pc said that they had children living at home.
Tablet computing boom
Beyond children’s presents, the general notion of giving tablets as gifts is strong this Christmas, with 15pc of all people surveyed across the four countries saying that they are considering purchasing a tablet as a gift for somebody.
Again, the US leads the way at 22pc, with the UK, France and Germany coming in at 16pc, 15pc and 7pc respectively. All signs are pointing to a tablet market primed for explosion in Q4 2012.
In the UK alone, Futuresource forecasts indicate that around 5m tablets will be shipped in Q4 2012.
However, if Santa is delivering a tablet computer this year parents would be wise to heed the advice of security experts who urge parents to be careful of what apps their kids might be downloading. An FTC study warned of mobile apps that can siphon data to “invisible and unknown” third parties that could be used to develop a detailed profile of a child without a parent’s knowledge or consent.
