The National Retail Federation Vice President Scott Krugman told MarketWatch that Apple iPod has now hit the “Top Toys List” for the first time this year and says this “is probably very good for Apple, considering it’s such a high-priced item.”
Parents won’t have to guess too hard when it comes to buying the hottest toys for their kids this holiday season. This year, video games and game units will be at the top of many children’s wish lists. With 45.0 percent of shoppers purchasing toys this year, Barbie will be the most popular toy for girls, followed closely by other dolls including Bratz and Dora the Explorer. Video games will be the most popular toy for boys, while other hot items will include traditional favorites like Star Wars merchandise and Legos.
“As parents race to purchase the hottest toys for their kids, retailers face the challenge of keeping merchandise on their shelves,” said Tracy Mullin, NRF President and CEO in a statement. “With video games so popular among both boys and girls, retailers are stocking up on a variety of games to accommodate the holiday rush.”
Top Toys for Girls, 2005:
1. Barbie
2. Bratz
3. Dora the Explorer
4. Disney Princess
5. Video Games
6. Apple iPod/MP3 Players
7. My Little Pony
8. Leap Frog
9. Elmo
10. American Girl
Top Toys for Boys, 2005:
1. Video Games
2. Star Wars Merchandise
3. Legos
4. Hot Wheels
5. Spiderman Merchandise
6. Xbox
7. Thomas the Train
8. Batman Merchandise
9. Bicycle
10. PlayStation 2
The NRF 2005 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays. The survey, which polled 7,128 consumers, was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch from November 2-9, 2005. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.
BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes. BIGresearch’s syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the pulse of more than 7,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace.
The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants and grocery stores as well as the industry’s key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 23 million employees – about one in five American workers – and 2004 sales of $4.1 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations. http://www.nrf.com/
MarketWatch’s John Wordock talks with NRF’s Scott Krugman about how Apple’s iPod is on the hot list for the first-time ever and why the trade group has avoided calling the music player a toy – until now. Audio report here.
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Just imagine Barbie, Bratz, Dora the Explorer, and Disney Princess videos downloadable for the iPod. Stampede! What? No Malibu Stacy?
how think is an Xserve in comparison to a powerbook? I was just checking out the specs and was curious as to why Apple can get dual G5’s in an Xserve, but they can’t get even on in a powerbook? I don’t think that we should be expecting this Intel ibook for macworld. I am completely expecting an Intel mac mini of some sort, and I am also expecting the G5 powerbook. I have read a couple of stories of AppleCare consultants asking people whether their Powerbooks are G4 or G5. So maybe macworld will finally reveal this. Besides, don’t the new Dual Core G5’s use less power? And there happens to be a G5 in the 1 1/2 thick new imac’s. You know it’s possible, I know it’s possibe, so just give us the god damn powerbook G5 already….fuck.
jarrett
Jarrett, a bit off topic. I’ve seen discussion of your points elsewhere– you may get more by posting on a thread dedicated to the topic (applenova, appleinsider, macnn, maccentral…).
About the article– my nephews in elementary school are talking about iPods now and they’re just starting to catch on. The iPod phenomenon is going to get even bigger is parents keep spoiling their klids with expensive stuff!
OOOoooo… I don’t need that jerk Ken anymore!
Jarret, you can’t seriously be comparing a clusternode and a laptop! If you are then you’ve lost it, or maybe never had it in the first place!
They are totally different, sure you can put dual G5s in a powerbook and make it as thick as an xserve to cope with the heat and then add a display. Then listen to that vaccumcleaner all day. Oh wait, that would probably not be all that bad since it would run out of power after about an hour.
Considering how small the upgrades have been to the powerbook line in last year, don’t you think that if Apple thought it was even remotely possible to cram a G5 into one, they would?
Jarret –
Just some FOOD for thought, our Xserve is about 1 3/4″ thick, wider than a laptop, and extremely long. This allows it to have multiple fans draw cool air over the processors through the front grate and out the back.
Batterly life in a laptop is key. Not only would dual G5’s draw too much power from an on board battery, but the fans required to cool them, even if you could stand the noise and the space issues, would draw tons of juice.
an Xserve is much more like a flattened desktop than a Laptop. There is much more room inside an Xserve which allows for airflow. In a laptop, there is NO room, Zero, to spare.
Plus, you’re an idiot for posting that in an article about toys.
MW: heavy, as in
Please don’t do any heavy lifting, Jarret.
Wow, we have come so far. And Barbie on top, to teach women early that a normal body is an ugly body.
Barbie’s always been on top. Ken insisted.
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