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In a poll of over 1000 U.S. eight-to-18 year olds, laptops knock iPhones into second place and clothes into third.

The Ebates 2012 Holiday Wish List Survey reveals that of the 1,121 young people questioned, 17% plumped for a laptop as their most wanted gift this year. Tablets were back in fourth place with 9% behind iPhones (15%), and clothes (11%). Android phones came fifth (6%) with 7-inch tablets (5%) in sixth and e-readers, such as the Kindle and Nook, in seventh place with 4%.

In terms of brand and gender, most eight-to-nine-year-old boys want an iPad (17%) while girls in the same age group couldn't choose between an iPhone or clothes (both with 16%). Ten-to-12-year-old boys and girls were in agreement that a laptop was their most wanted gift (19% for boys, 16% for girls), and while 13-to-15-year-old boys and girls plumped for iPhones and clothes respectively, 16-to-18-year-old boys and girls both chose laptops as their number-one gift for the holiday season.

The results will come as good news to beleaguered computer manufacturers who have been complaining about falling sales all year, but could come as a disappointment to Google and Microsoft who have been investing heavily in getting new tablets onto the market in time for the end of the year.