After all these years, I still find my often befuddled 60-something parents are two of the best technology critics; they don’t care how it looks or the science behind the scenes, it just has to work. On that basis, it should probably be Dad’s smiling face above this column.

Even faced with the most anticipated gadgets before they go on sale, Pete’s stock reply is to pick up his book or turn up the TV.

But it was his impressive duck-to-water response to Apple’s iPad at launch in 2010 that made me confident this was going to be a device that revolutionised everybody’s online lives.

Within seconds, Dad was confidently swiping and tapping the large touchscreen, zooming in on web pages to enlarge text and detail, before switching to a digital version of his favourite print magazine, delivered directly to the device. In less than 10 minutes, he was already planning how a tablet would benefit his life and how he could persuade Mum to invest.

Old Pete may have unwittingly been one of the first to experience a tablet, but he’s certainly not the only one who likes the idea of owning one. So popular are tablets that one leading retailer says it will be its most popular Christmas gift; predicting to sell one every 15 seconds of November and December.

When it comes to purchasing a tablet device, Apple remains the market leader, with its iPad devices, which received a welcome update this week to become even more powerful, yet lighter and with better battery life. It offers a 9.7ins product – called iPad Air – which starts at £399, or the compact 7ins iPad Mini, from £329. Apple’s devices are increasingly rivalled by tablets powered by Google’s Android software. Unlike iPads, this software is offered to a variety of manufacturers and, after a slower start, is now almost on par with the experience you will find from a more expensive Apple device. One of the best Android tablets available is the Hudl, created and sold exclusively at Tesco stores for knockdown £119.99, as it hopes you’ll connect it to the store’s growing range of online services.

Next week, I’ll take you on a whistle-stop tour through the five best tablet devices on the market, so you can spend wisely this Christmas.