Wearables to top Christmas lists at Currys & PC World

Connected health and homes will inspire purchases as will audio devices and tablets, retailer predicts

In a move guaranteed to elicit groans from hard-pressed consumers everywhere, Currys & PC World have once again started promoting their top-10 Christmas presents in July.

And this year, the CE retailer claims (or perhaps hopes), will be all about the survival of the fittest.

You guessed it: wearables such as the "fitness" watch FitBit Force and Samsung's version, Gear Fit, are expected to "fight it out" to be 2014 UK Christmas bestseller. The predictions are not without basis in reality; Currys & PC World say the trendy wearables have seen sales expand 143 per cent year on year from 2013.

"Wearable tech has never looked so cool and with the growing need for connected products that can be accessed remotely, this is the ideal complement to a demanding, 21st century 'on-the-go' lifestyle," the press release gabbles, excitedly.

Coming up fast behind might be the Garmin Forerunner 15. Another "fitness" wearable, the Motorola Moto 360, took 10th place in the retailers' list.

Number four was a smoothie maker or juicer, the much-hyped NutriBullet, which is all about contributing to another trend predicted by Currys & PC World - "the healthy home".

Something called the KitchenAid stand mixer, for baking, was number eight.

Fifth place, in terms of predicted most popular product over Christmas, takes the IT channel back to more familiar territory: the audiovisual arena. Currys & PC World are predicting that the Sonos Multi Room System for audio will prove very popular with consumers.

"Our multi-room audio sales are up a massive 257 per cent year on year," the companies said.

Number six, they said, should be the Google ChromeCast - a piece of hardware for sending streaming media from smartphone, tablet, or PC for display on an HDTV. This device (pictured, right) is a "perfect, low-cost stocking filler", the announcement burbles.

GoPro camcorders were ranked at number seven on the Currys & PC World top-10 list.

This range includes many relatively small, light video recorders that can be mounted in a range of places, for example on a safety helmet or other piece of sports or outdoor equipment, enabling consumers to produce a range of selfies in even more formats and locations.

The Apple iPad Mini came in at ninth place, rounding out the list of predictions for Christmas.

"Currys & PC World has seen interest this year in higher-spec tablets - devices that allow for greater productivity while providing effective remote access for controlling smart tech appliances across the home," the retailers said.