With the number of sold out gadgets left out of stock in the wake of the holidays, it's apparent how tech-crazed consumers are and how popular mobile devices have become as perfect holiday gifts.
For example, five out of seven devices in Google Play are completely sold out. All iPad mini flavors are currently expected to ship within one week, straight from Apple. And I'm sure many shelves are still bare at brick and mortar stores as stock is gradually replenished.
This year was unlike most for me, especially in terms of gadgets. Whether I'm connected or disconnected for the holidays, one thing I can't help but do when I spend time with family is discretely survey and take note of what everyone is using.
Most of my family – on both sides – has upgraded to smartphones. My mother, stepfather, brother-in-law, cousins, aunts and even one of my grandparents have iPhones. One of my uncles, my stepmother and another cousin have Android smartphones. With the exception of my father, who still has a feature phone and will fight getting a smartphone until his wife forces him to (at that point, he will fall in love with whatever she buys him), the remaining few have feature phones and can't wait to upgrade.
And several family members received gadgets as gifts. My sister, for instance, was given a third-generation iPad, which went nicely with the iPhone 5 she bought days ago. (For those following along on Twitter, that's the one I waited two hours in-store to snag.) She also received a Kindle. My mother was given a fourth-gen iPad with LTE to replace her Wi-Fi iPad. And my stepfather gifted an iPad mini to himself to replace his first-generation iPad. And my brother-in-law was given a few hand-me-downs: an iPhone 4S and a first-gen iPad. I also remember my cousin telling me one of his presents from his mother was a new laptop.
As family members opened their presents, I made a mental tally of anything and everything tech-related.
My cousin picked an iTunes gift card in a round of Dirty Santa. My grandpa scored a new Blu-ray player and an armful of new Blu-ray movies. I gave my grandmother an Amazon gift card so she could stock her Kindle up with new books. And I gave each my mother and stepfather a myCharge Peak 6000 Power Bank.
Everyone was unwrapping tech gifts left and right. But the part that was so different than other years is that no one even tried to gift me a gadget this year. No one bought me gift cards to iTunes or Google Play. No one bought me a tablet or a case for a phone or tablet. Not one gift was a gadget, mobile device or accessory.
Trust me, that's not a complaint. Trying to buy someone like me a tech gift is like trying to gift a wine connoisseur a fine bottle on a $20 budget. That said and regardless of what people believe, I'm not hard to please.
I received great gifts this year and I'm actually glad they were completely unrelated to technology. I received things I needed, like more discs for disc golf and luggage (which will be especially handy for the sudden increase in travel next year). I walked away with several pounds of my grandmother's world class fudge. I received a camera lens coffee mug, a drill and a cylinder for the balance board I made years ago. Oh, and lest I forget the chopstick and sushi tree ornament my sister gave me.
Despite not getting a single gadget or tech gift, it was a fantastic Christmas for me. I was happy to see everyone in the family upgrade to new devices and some upgrade to their very first smartphone. And, most importantly, it was a year without some crazy conflict or yelling fight. It was a peaceful holiday and everyone had a great time.
How were your holidays, folks? What tech gifts did you or your family members receive? Share in the comments section below!
