Apple's iPhone is apparently the most coveted holiday item this year, according to a survey conducted by investment firm Piper Jaffray.
While Apple stirred a bit of a controversy with its latest devices, particularly the iPhone 7 with no headphone jack and the MacBook Pro with redesigned (read: missing) ports, it still tops the holiday wish lists this year.
Apple devices have always been in high demand, but it seems that this year, the iPhone is even more coveted than it was last year. Piper Jaffray surveyed 1,000 consumers over the past month to learn about their holiday wish lists, and Apple devices are apparently a must-have this holiday season. Of course, Apple already knew that when it published its Apple Holiday Gift Guide earlier this month.
Apple iPhone, Most Requested Gift
The iPhone has topped consumers' wish lists, with more people dreaming of the device than any other item.
"Our retail team has done a survey of a thousand people in the U.S. last month and the percentage of people that wanted an iPhone — that was the number one requested gift," said Gene Munster, Piper Jaffray managing director, on CNBC's Squawk Box morning news show.
Piper Jaffray found that 7.2 percent of people surveyed wanted an iPhone, making Apple's popular smartphone the number 1 requested gift this season. The firm's Holiday Spending Intentions Survey from 2015 found that 5.2 percent of respondents wanted an iPhone.
This means that the iPhone's appeal has increased from last year, so either the iPhone 7 is more attractive or the Galaxy Note 7 recall tipped the scale heavily in Apple's favor.
Munster reckons that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus may only be incremental upgrades from Apple's 2015 iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but consumers still want an iPhone.
Top 10 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts
The survey found that the top 10 most wanted holiday gifts for 2016 are, in order: iPhone, MacBook, Xbox, smartwatch, PlayStation, GoPro, Michael Kors, Fitbit, hoverboard and drone.
When it comes to brand preferences for the top gifts, Piper Jaffray found that Apple mindshare, which refers to what consumers say they plan to purchase, has risen to 10.3 percent this year. Apple's iPhones and MacBooks were the most popular items among teenagers.
Munster further points out that Apple's decision to reinstate Black Friday and offer discounts on iPhones, iPads and more devices was the company's way of acknowledging that it needs to come up with some incentives to boost sales.
Nevertheless, with so many Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on Apple devices and the iPhone as the most wanted holiday gift, Apple's device sales will likely end the year with a bang.
