The Apple iPad is the most wanted electronic product by young children from ages 6 to 12 this holiday season, according to a recent study conducted by The Nielsen Company.

The research firm found that not only did 44 percent of the children who participated in the survey express interest in the iPad, but also that two other Apple products, the iPod Touch and the iPhone, ranked among the top three most desired gifts by children, with 30 percent wanting an iPod Touch and 27 percent wanting an iPhone.

The study also found that among consumers age 13 and older, interest in the iPad has increased by 6 percent since 2010, with 24 percent expressing interest in the device this year and only 18 percent expressing interest last year.

Gaming consoles were also among the top desired items of young children, with 25, 23 and 22 percent saying they wanted a Nintendo 3DS, Kinect for Xbox360 and Nintendo Ds, DSi or DS lite respectively. However, the three least desired electronics for this holiday season include the Nintendo Wii, Playstation Move and Playstation Portable.

Most stores are selling Apple's latest iPad 2 for around $499. More than 140,000 different applications can be downloaded to the device, and it includes features such as FaceTime, which allows consumers to video chat with other iPad 2 users, and Safari, which enables easier, more efficient and faster Web browsing. Units are also conveniently ultra-thin and light, being less than 1 inch thin and weighing as little as 1.33 pounds.

However, the Amazon Kindle Fire is expected to serve as a competitor to the iPad and other tablets because it is nearly half the size of normal tablets and selling for a fraction of their cost – at $200. Though it contains less features and its performance is reportedly more sluggish than the more expensive tablets, many reviewers concur that consumers get what they pay for from the device with its markedly low price.

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