It seems even young kids aren’t immune to the ever-growing hype surrounding Apple and its products, as Apple’s tablet PC, the iPad, has topped their wishlists heading into the final month of 2010. Among 6-12 year olds, the iPad appeared on 31% of wishlists, according to Nielson, who conducted the survey, while it also topped the PS3 among gamers 13 and up, though it appeared on just 18% of their wishlists.

The PlayStation 3 meanwhile had a solid if unspectacular showing among both groups, with 21% and 13% respectively, beating the Wii among 6-12 year olds, though falling to it among those 13+, somewhat curious results given the Wii is generally seen as the family and kid friendly console. The results could indicate that many younger gamers already have Wii’s, either passed down from their older siblings or purchased directly for them by their parents, while the more expensive PS3 has remained elusive thus far.

"Tommy, Don't Forget Your $600 iPad At School"

Why an 8 year old kid would even want or need an iPad is somewhat of a mystery, but the results suggest that online activities, be it watching videos, social networking, etc. seem to be surpassing the traditional gaming market in popularity even among younger kids, as home computers also rated very highly in the survey, topping the 13+ age group, and sitting second among 6-12 year olds, despite most families likely already having at least one home computer.

The good news for Sony is that its biggest direct competitor for the PS3, the Xbox 360, fared far worse, appearing on just 12% and 9% of lists respectively. The PlayStation Move also appeared on more wishlists than Microsoft’s Kinect. This bodes well for Sony heading into the Christmas season and beyond.

What’s your most wanted item this holiday season (and do you think you’ll get it)? Is the Apple hype-machine so oppressive that it’s even infiltrated child culture, or do you think it’s completely legitimate for young kids to want an iPad? As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject below.

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