iPad babies lead shift to tech gifts

By Andy Goldberg Dec 2, 2011, 12:06 GMT

San Francisco - Like any proud father, cafe owner Paul Renn has ecstatically videoed his year-old baby Velia's landmark achievements - when she said 'dada', started walking and most recently, operated his iPad for the very first time. 'It's amazing how intuitively she figured out this thing,' says Renn incredulously. 'It's like she's hard-wired to understand it.'

Now he says he plans to get a new iPad 'we can both use' and he is far from alone in his proud sense of wonder.

A quick search for the term 'iPad baby' on YouTube yields videos of hundreds of toddlers wielding tablet computers with the skill of seasoned pros. One particularly popular snippet shows a tiny baby adeptly manipulating an iPad and then yelling in frustration when her attempts to use her fingers to move pictures in a paper magazine don't have the same effect.

It's a great illustration of how the 'real world' can seem boring in comparison the fabulous possibilities offered by digital technology.

It may also reinforce fears for an iPad generation that's more comfortable facing an electronic screen than anything they may find in nature.

These concerns are especially prevalent during the holiday season, when parents attempt to fill the holiday wish lists of their offspring. Scarves, skateboards, socks and Lego may once have brought tears of joy to their recipient. The only tears they are likely to provoke these days are usually accompanied by a frown.

For years now, as prices have dropped and features have improved, tech gifts have been commanding a larger and larger part of the Christmas budget.

Overall some 40 per cent of US shoppers bought electronic goods on the opening weekend of the shopping season, according to the National Retail Federation. Only clothing and clothing accessories are more popular, with some 50 per cent of shoppers choosing such items.

Apple's iPad tops most peoples' wish list - even among kids. According to market research firm Nielsen, 44 per cent of children aged 6 to 14 want one for Christmas. Apple products also occupy the next two places in the popularity stakes, with 30 per cent of kids wanting an iPod Touch, and 27 per cent coveting an iPhone.

For parents who don't want to share an iPad with their kids, numerous toy tablet computers abound, such as the 100-dollar LeapPad Explorer, which features an 11-centimeter touch screen, built-in camera and video recorder and numerous educational games. It has competition from the 60 dollar MobiGo, which also features a slide-out keyboard.

Even conventional toys are being supplemented by technology.

Who would want a plain old set of crayons when they could have a Crayola ColorStudio HD, an electronic marker and app for the iPad that allows toddlers to make animated creations?

For that matter, what kid could be satisfied with a regular stuffed animal when any number of walking, talking, singing robotic pets are calling out to them from the toy store shelves?

One popular electronic pet is the Wappy Dog, a 50-dollar toy that can learn tricks, play games, converse, and even adapt his short-term mood to the amount of attention he receives.

There are so many tech options for kids these days that the venerable PC Magazine has published a special guide section for perplexed parents.

'Ah, the holiday season...the time of year when children are thrown into a frenzy about the latest tech toys being rolled out, and parents are thrown into a frenzy about what to get and where to get them,' it reasons. 'After all, how would you know if that toy tablet is a better buy for your youngster than that talking mouse?'

Some smart parents, however, will know that the best tech toys are ones they can use themselves. They may want to get an iCade, a box for the iPad that replicates the feeling of the 1980's style video arcades.

Even smarter parents may realize their kids already have more than enough technology to keep them happy - and get them some wooden blocks, football boots, or maybe a scarf, some socks or a skateboard.