What Did You Get For Christmas?; Tech Gadgets Topped List For Most Ms. Bels Thursday, December 26, 2013 The Receipt, What's Hot, What's Not Most people celebrated Christmas yesterday surrounded by family and close friends. This time of fellowship allows everyone to enjoy their blessings and give unto others. This is one reason why gifts are such a big deal at Christmas time. And who doesn’t like to receive presents?! So…what did Santa Claus (or family) give you for Christmas this year? Hopefully, it was something you really wanted and not one of those dreadful holiday sweaters. Although clothes are a always a great gift to give, for the past few years, electronics and tech gadgets have made the top of the list. According to the Associated Press, audio equipment topped the holiday gift list this year. They say Americans purchased more items relating to music this year than in past years. Electronics such as headphones, speakers, and other audio gear made up approximately 13 percent of the $8 billion in sales made. Headphones like Beats by Dre, SMS Audio, etc rose about 14 percent in sales. Also, sales of the wireless sound bar speakers rose about 80 percent from last year. Analysts believes Americans want a better listening experience, which is why dollars are being spent on high-quality sound gear (i.e. ear buds). With most Americans using their iPhones, Androids, tablets and such to listen to music and videos, no one wants to rely on the crappy ear buds you normally get with the phone. It’s all about the clarity of the sound, the bass, the surround sound, and overall audio quality. This has become of great importance to American consumers. In addition to audio gear, analyst says tablets were a big hit again this year. Tablets are not only purchased for adults any more. We now see a trend where more and more tablets are being purchased for seniors and kids. Kids, in particular, are using tablets at ages starting around 3 years old nowadays. Companies like Samsung, are designing tablets and apps that cater to a specific audience. For children, these tablets can be navigated through much easier. The tasks of scrolling through photos, playing video, playing games, and more are easy to do. And parents are quick to purchase tablets because it has taken place of the television, which was once the best way to keep a child preoccupied.
