It’s a familiar story, but this year it’s got a startling number attached to it. Yes, this year, loving (and well heeled) parents are due to spend three billion pounds on technology to keep the little ones happy, according to a report by comparison website uSwitch.
The top three includes tablets (24%), video games (17%) and smartphones (13%), with both e-readers like Amazon’s revamped Kindle Paperwhite and digital cameras rounding out the big five this year.
It’s an interesting statistic, given the steady decline in the sales of dedicated digital cameras given the increasing technical prowess of the phones in our cameras, one that’ll warm the hearts of dedicated camera makers during this, the coldest of seasons.
Part of the increased tech related spending must surely be placed at the feet of the launch of a new console generation, with the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Wii U all having launched, it’s a particularly exciting time to be a gamer (much to the tedium of parents everywhere).
Elsewhere, big phone launches like the iPhone 5s, HTC One, Nokia 1020 and Samsung GS4 that have made last year’s devices look suitably old hat, with each launching to rave reviews, drawing yet more (and even younger) people into the category marked ‘smartphone owners’.
Another driving force behind the startling number is the drive to bring tablets down to more affordable levels, with tablets like the Nexus 7, Tesco Hudl and even Apple’s iPad Mini entering the market and making tablets seem more and more accessible for the average family.
Smaller and cheaper tablets, too, are making them a viable gift for children, with the app stores increasingly populated by educational and children friendly applications, they’ve become useful educational tools.
It’s not all about the big ticket items though, with headphones like Superfi’s JAYS a-JAY Four Earphones and the ever popular Beats line expected to do very well, along with other accessories like cases, styli (like the FiftyThree ‘Pencil’) and even wireless chargers as the technology gets more and more popular in both tablets and mobile phones.
Despite this increase in spending, 26% of parents believe they are already spend too much money on technology for their children, likely attributable to the increasing number of children being introduced to technology at a younger age. Whatever the reason though, it seems like this year will be another record one in technology sales, with tech gifts available from Superfi, Curry’s, PC World as well as hundreds of smaller businesses up and down the country, it’s bound to be a bumper year for technology sales.
