Time to take stock and give the top honors for the top gadget of 2006. No surprises again for the Apple iPod which managed dual accolades. The iPod’s 30GB fifth generation video iPod was the most frequently purchased electronics gift in 2006, while the black-colored model was also awarded the title of the “most wished-for gift” — appearing most often on the Wish Lists of Amazon customers in 2006.

Apple also said traffic to the company’s iTunes website on Christmas Day was up 413 percent when compared to last Christmas, as surfers wielding new iPods flocked to the web to download iTunes. All that traffic brought the site to its knees early this week, tossing out error messages to some while others were able to download music without incident.

Apple commands about 75 per cent of the market for downloaded music, but could lose as much as five per cent of that market share in 2007 because of increased competition from rivals.