• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, November 15, 2011

With the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet hitting stores this week, will the iPad finally face legitimate competition heading into the holiday season? Despite the debut of two lower-priced contenders, a new survey suggests the iPad is still well ahead in the race to end up as a stocking stuffer.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of those who want a tablet are wishing for an iPad 2, according to new findings by opinion-based social community SodaHead.com. Almost a quarter have their eye on the Kindle Fire (24%), and 11% want Barnes & Noble's recently announced Nook Tablet.

The main selling point for the two 7-inch tablets is price: The Amazon device sells for $199 and the Nook Tablet for $249. That compares to $499 for the 10-inch iPad. Both challengers provide access to a range of digital content including e-books, magazines and newspapers, apps, and movies and TV shows. But they don't offer some features that the iPad and other tablets offer including a camera.

A prior survey by SodaHead in early October found the Kindle Fire appealed to older, less affluent consumers. People 45 and over favored the Amazon tablet over the iPad by a slight margin (51% to 49%), while people with income of $25,000 or less overwhelmingly preferred the Kindle Fire. Early hands-on reviews for the device have been mostly positive.

A separate study from consumer electronics site Retrevo last week found that among shoppers interested in buying a tablet or learning more about them, 44% would be willing to consider the Kindle Fire. Only 12% said they would not consider anything other than an iPad.

When it comes to the most coveted technology toy, Apple wins out again, with 39% hoping to receive an iPhone 4S during the holiday season. Following the talking smartphone on the wish list is the iPad 2 (31%), Kindle Fire (17%) and Xbox Kinect, 13%.

According to the survey, cash or a gift card is what people want most overall as a holiday gift, at 39%. Vacation travel (30%), electronics (21%) and clothes and jewelry (10%) are among the other top consumer categories cited.

SodaHead.com says its polling widget, which powers polling for ABCNews,com, "Good Morning America" and Foxnews.com, is viewed by 40 million users monthly. Users create personal profiles on the site and interact with fellow members around shared interests.