Kids want iPhones and iPads rather than toys for Christmas

Santa might as well make his elves redundant: kids would rather Steve Jobs fill their stockings with expensive Apple gear.

The iPhone 4, iPod touch and iPad were the three most wanted gifts among children aged 5 to 16, according to the Duracell Toy Report, the Telegraph reports. Nearly four in ten children questioned wanted something from the Apple cave of wonders this year.

The report surveyed 2,138 children and parents. Boys and girls both wanted high-tech presents, showing the love of gadgets was definitely not a male preserve, especially among the young. 

As children get older, Apple stuff becomes more attractive, with 17 per cent of 5- to 8-year-olds, 50 per cent of 9- to 12-year-olds and 66 per cent of 13- to 16-year-olds putting Cupertino's baubles at the top of their Santa wishlists.

In fact, technology-related items were eight of the top 10 toys for Christmas. Kinect for Xbox took fourth place and the Flip Video Camera took sixth, with the PlayStation Move, Lego Harry Potter video game and Barbie Video Girl taking eighth, ninth and tenth place respectively. Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters and the evergreen Buzz Lightyear filled out the list at fifth and seventh.

Apple's popularity, it seems, is nearly universal. The gear is accessible to virtually anybody who has fingers, and its app store offers a never-ending supply of entertainment for both boys and girls -- as long as they have access to Mum or Dad's credit card.

But is anyone really going to give their 5-year-old an iPad for Christmas? Or are tech-savvy kids just asking for the most expensive thing they can think of to push their luck? That certainly seems the case -- the average spent by parents on Christmas presents was £153 for boys and £145 for girls, which won't go far in the Apple Store. The cheapest iPod touch is £189.

Let us know what you're buying your children -- maybe anonymously, in case rooting around for presents has got to the point where they Google for it.