Tomorrow begins the first day of the 12 days of Christmas. I bet if the infamous English Christmas carol was written today, it’d be a barrage of technology. Tablets would take over for the turtle doves. Smartphones would replace the swans a swimming.
Technology is taking over much of the gift giving scene. Computers and hardware, which include tablets, make up nearly 20 percent of the gift share this holiday season. It landed the No. 2 spot behind the long-standing leader, apparel and accessories.
When taking into account gifts of electronics, which includes smartphones, the technology share is closer to one-third of holiday sales, putting it virtually neck and neck with apparel and accessories. That’s significant and signals how much technology drives our lives – at an earlier and earlier age.
So, what’s hot for business? Here are three top gadget picks for business based on reviews, sales and projections:
- Galaxy Note Tablet
This tablet is thin, fast and comes with a mouse. This device carries a higher price tag than most other tablets (other than the iPad), but it’s not your average tablet. Its capabilities align more with a laptop than a tablet. Samsung reported this week that the Note 3 sold 10 million units in the first two months of its release. I just added this device (2014 edition) to my collection, in hopes that it could replace everything – except for my phone. So far, I have been satisfied. I think it could easily become the core business device for professionals.
- iPad Air
Smaller and thinner than the iPad mini, the iPad Air is considered Apple’s premium tablet and has been a best seller this holiday season. It also carries a higher price tag than other tablets costing $599 for a 32GB device. This device boasts a larger tablet range with the new A7 64-bit processor (that’s tech speak for fast) and iOS 7. It also has a comparable battery life to Apple’s MacBook Air. For those business leaders who prefer Apple over PC, this is the best buy.
- Galaxy Gear SmartWatch
Virtually every technology manufacturer has released or announced plans to release what I fondly call the Dick Tracy watch. Samsung currently leads the market with its release of the Galaxy Gear SmartWatch. Samsung released this watch device alongside the Galaxy Note 3 this fall. Almost as capable as a phone, the Gear has a 1.63-inch screen, an 800MHz processor, a microphone and speaker and a camera. There is a lot of talk and speculation about Apple’s plans with the company’s first iWatch early next year. This new device will be a key trend in 2014.
So for fun, here is my quick technology rendition of the 12 days of Christmas. I’ll let you sing it.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
12 TomTom Runners
11 Jawbone Speakers
10 Cases Charging
9 Androids Dancing
8 Tablets Tapping
7 Servers Swarming
6 iTunes-a-Playing
5 Google Glasses
4 Angry Birds
3 Leap Motions
2 Touchscreens
… And a 60 inch 3D HDTV
Actually, I would love to hear you sing it and spread some cheer. Post a video of yourself (or group) singing this on the Marco Facebook page by Dec. 20 and I’ll make sure you get a cool prize. Merry Christmas.
