An iPad 4

Which would you rather get as a gift this year, one of the new tablet computers or a laptop?A majority of consumers say they would rather receive a tablet than a laptop, according to the latest PriceGrabber holiday shopping survey.

When consumers were asked whether they would rather receive a tablet computer or a laptop as a holiday gift this year, 59 percent indicated that they would rather receive a tablet.

Seventy-one percent of shoppers also indicated that they believe tablet computers will replace e-readers as gifts this year.

Conducted from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1, 2012, the survey includes responses from 1,475 U.S. online shopping consumers.

All the major new tablets interest some consumers, but Apple is front and center for a majority.

Apple iPad and iPad mini top-ranked overall tablets
The power of the Apple brand is likely to remain in full force again this holiday season, especially with the launch of the iPad 4 and iPad mini.

When consumers were asked which tablet they would prefer to receive as a gift this year (respondents could select as many choices as they liked), 63 percent said they preferred the iPad 3 or iPad 4 and 24 percent indicated the iPad mini.

Reviews of the iPad mini have been mixed – with many reviewers saying it costs too much for its screen resolution, which is lower than Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7 and the larger iPads, and it’s chip isn’t as robust as some. Here’s CNET’s take on the iPad mini.

Twenty-two percent in the PriceGrabber survey indicated they would like to receive the Samsung Galaxy Note Tab; 20 percent cited the AmazonKindle Fire HD; and 13 percent said the Microsoft Surface tablet.

This was followed by 12 percent that selected the Google Nexus 7, 8 percent who said the Amazon Kindle Fire; another 8 percent that noted the Sony Tablet S and 7 percent that selected the Toshiba Excite.

Other tablets  ranked lower.

iPad mini Wins Consumer Vote in Lower Priced Tablet Category
When PriceGrabber survey respondents were asked to select all of the lower priced tablets they would be most likely to purchase as a holiday gift this year, the iPad mini came out on top with 45 percent of the vote.

Twenty-seven percent of respondents selected the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire tied for third place both receiving 19 percent. Six percent of consumers selected both the Barnes & Noble Nook HD and the Barnes & Noble Nook HD+.

When the 45 percent of consumers that selected the iPad mini out of the lower priced tablet options, were asked why they would purchase that particular tablet as a gift this holiday season, 47 percent said because of its smaller size and portability.

Thirty-eight percent of consumers cited its lower price point compared to the regular iPad, 35 percent said they love Apple products and always purchase the latest and greatest as gifts, and 33 percent indicated that it would make a great gift.

Twenty-seven percent of respondents noted its lighter weight and 22 percent said that the overall price point is more affordable.

“Tablets continue to grow in popularity as a top holiday gift, especially with the emergence of lower priced tablets in the $200 to $300 price range targeting budget-conscience consumers,” said Rojeh Avanesian, vice president of marketing and analytics of PriceGrabber.com.

“We expect to see a lot of shopping activity in the tablet category again this holiday season, with retailer’s battling it out to win the consumer dollar.”

Consumers Cite LeapPad2 Explorer as Top Holiday Tablet for Children
Tablets for children have become popular over the last couple of years. When consumers were asked which tablet they would be most likely to purchase as a holiday gift for a child this year (respondents could select as many choices as they liked), 23 percent selected the LeapPad2 Explorer.

The iPad mini came in second place with 22 percent of the vote and the Leapfrog tablet came in third place receiving 20 percent. Seventeen percent of shoppers selected the iPad 3 or iPad 4 and 12 percent indicated they would most likely purchase the Amazon Kindle Fire as a holiday gift for a child.

Shoppers select Amazon Kindle Fire as top e-reader

A Kindle Fire tablet computer

While PriceGrabber respondents overwhelmingly favor tablets, consumers were asked to select all of the e-readers they would prefer to receive as a gift this holiday season. Thirty-nine percent of respondents selected the Amazon® Kindle Fire®; 38 percent indicated the iPad 3 or iPad 4; and the iPad mini and Amazon Kindle Touch both received 23 percent of the vote.

Seventeen percent said the Samsung Galaxy Note Tab and this was followed by 12 percent who indicated the Google Nexus 7. Another 10 percent of consumers noted the Barnes & Noble Nook and 9 percent selected the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.

Other e-readers such as the Barnes & Noble Simple Touch, Sony e-reader, Kobe e-reader and ASUS Transformer Pad, ranked lower.

PriceGrabber has identified a number of consumer shopping trends for the coming holidays and put most of the data into a series of infographics:

Infographics from PriceGrabber’s Winter Holiday Shopping Surveys
INFOGRAPHIC 4: http://i.pgcdn.com/images/infographics/holiday2_infographic2.jpg
INFOGRAPHIC 3: http://i.pgcdn.com/images/infographics/holiday2_infographic1.jpg
INFOGRAPHIC 2: http://i.pgcdn.com/images/infographics/Holiday1_Infographic2.jpg
INFOGRAPHIC 1: http://i.pgcdn.com/images/infographics/Holiday1_InfoGraphic1.jpg