How many teenagers have their own computer?

[rye9]

Just curious, how many teenagers here are between 13 and 18 and have their owm computer?

[mikeyredk]

I did

[jer446]

I do, paid by me though.. 20 inch imac g5 2.0 with 1.5gb of ram, laserjet 1020 printer mx1000 mouse..

[doucy2]

Just curious, how many teenagers here are between 13 and 18 and have their owm computer?
me
i own 8 lol

powermac g4 500
powermac g4 1ghz
powermac g4 1.47ghz
imac 333mhz
imac 500mhz
ibook 700mhz
amd pc 700mhz
dell pc 450mhz

ive also owned 12 or so other macs which i no longer own

you should refer to the thread i started
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=141514

[runninmac]

I have my iBook G4. But I payed for all of it. I must say im in love with it.

[840quadra]

Quite a few, and a currently open topic on this.

As Doucy stated,
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=141514

[amacgenius]

I have my 12" PowerBook G4 to myself, stepdad has an iMac G4 and my mom doesn't really like computers.

My first computer that I owned though was some crappy Compaq PC, then an HP Laptop, then a 15" PB G4, iBook G4, iMac G5, now I'm down to just my PB and an 800mhz iBook G3 (which arrives Monday).

So to, in short answer your question, yes.

[hcuar]

Well... my 6 week old daughter has a computer. Seriously. :p

[Oryan]

I got my first computer when I was 6. A 386 of some kind with DOS 2.11. Now I have a Dual 2.0 G5 (my life's savings) and a Medion LS laptop (a gift from my boss).

[next493]

i have my own.

its the pc in my sig. anyways. i payed for it all. took me some time to save up, but i did.

[jmufellow]

Well... my 6 week old daughter has a computer. Seriously. :p
No way! I hate to say this, but unnecessary perhaps?

[mad jew]

Well... my 6 week old daughter has a computer. Seriously. :p


What type? Pray-tell. :)

[~Shard~]

I got my own computer when I was a teenager. Before then, it was just using my brother's Macs - I have fond memories of his Apple //e and SE/30. :cool: I started off with PCs (a 200 MHz Pentium II, I believe), built my own, etc., and then bought my very own Mac 2 years ago.

[InfiniteLoop1]

ive had hand down computers since i was about 7. my latest is my dads old PB in my sig. but im gunna buy my first new computer in January hopefully! but my brother is paying half!! i still have the old ones 8 in fact:

Mac Classic
Mac Classic 2
LC 2
LC 475
LC 475 (ive got 2 of them)
PowerMac 8600
Powerbook 233Mhz (OS 9)
Powerbook 400Mhz current on in sig

my last computer was a Blueberry iBook 300Mhz (no firewire) but i gave that one to my sister!
when my dad got his new iBook 1.2Ghz he gave my sister a choice of the Powerbook 400Mhz or my old iBook and me get the Powerbook. she asked for the blueberry iBook 'cos it looks cute' all she uses it for is to sync her pink iPod mini to it... oh well i'm not complaining!

[SummerBreeze]

I'm not in that age group anymore, but I got my own computer when I turned 16 because that's when I started taking AP English courses. I had so many papers to write that it started to get hard juggling time for my whole family to use the computer. I got my laptop when I left for college, since my desktop wasn't practical for a dorm room and the library. My brother got his frist computer when he turned 14, but it was one of those four hundred dollar Dells.

[EricNau]

I do. I paid for my iMac, but the PC laptop was given to me as a hand-me-down. (See sig)

[Deepdale]

Well... my 6 week old daughter has a computer. Seriously.

Does she work outside the home yet or will that happen only once she reaches the more mature age of, say, 12 weeks? :)

[killuminati]

I have my own 15" Powerbook but I paid for it.

[Chundles]

I got my first computer as a hand-me-down from the folks, an Intel 686 running Win 95 when I was 17.

I was given AUD$1500 for getting over 90 on my UAI so I used that to buy an HP PC.

Sold some shares after my 22nd to buy my iBook.

[dubbz]

I got one when I was a teenager too. Compaq Presario. Kinda slow even when my mom bought it for me. Had a Intel 486DX2 66, while my friends not too much later got some Pentium 133MHz desktop.

Don't miss it.

Edit: I did, however, miss some glaring errors in my grammar :P

[greatdevourer]

2x 133Mhz PMMX Tosh Satalite Pros
1x Amstrad ALT386-SX "laptop computer"
1x 486 desktop
1x 486 server
2x P1 destkops
1x P2 desktop
1x Citrix 2 desktop
1x P3 desktop
1x P4 desktop
1x AMD64 desktop
1x Cube
1x PowerBook

And this is what I still have - There are 5 laptops and 2 desktops that I was forced to throw out :(

[nightdweller25]

Current 12" PowerBook that's all mine:):):) (15)

[XIII]

I do.... Paid all of it.

[20rogersc]

My 14" iBook ;)

::20ROGERSC::

[Ashapalan]

12" powerbook,
only apple in the house!
got it in time for uni next year.

[haiggy]

I bought my own iBook G4

[macOSX-tastic]

me have apple computer long time 2000 dollar! :D

[CompUser]

- 12" PowerBook G4 1.5ghz, 768mb, 80gb, SuperDrive -paid $600 of it
- Dell 4550 P4/2.53GHz/512mb/30gb/DVD/CD-R/15" LCD - paid $0
- 500mhz iBook G3, 128mb, 10gb, CD-ROM (my print server) - got it for free

I also have...
Epson C86 -Free with PB
PhotoSmart 7760 - $0
LaserJet 1012 - paid for all of it
JBL Creatures -$0
21" ViewSonic CRT (not currently using due to massive size) - got for free
300gb Maxtor Ext. Hard Drive - $0

[Aarow]

I have a mac mini. I paid for half of it, my parents paid for the rest as a birthday present :).

[zap2]

i do, paid with my own $$$ and getting a new iBook after MWSF(with my own $)

[hcuar]

What type? Pray-tell. :)

She has a grape iMac G3 333 running Panther. :p

[GroundLoop]

I didn't get my first computer until I was 22. I survived mooching off of friends and the computer science lab through college.

Hickman

[CubaTBird]

i do, earned mine. :cool:

[fistful]

When I was 16-17 my mother bought me an Acer 486 100mhz. Had it in my room for about a month until it was moved into the family room for everyone to use as I wasn't really interested in it (this was before we had internet).

Bought myself a Dell at 20 until I finally saw the light at 23 and bought my PowerBook. :)

[revenuee]

i did -- my parents wanted my ass off their computer ( i was always scanning, editing photo, screwing around with videos) --- so he took me to the local mac dealer and told me to get what i needed

wow - looking at the current technology in the iMacs and even the Mac mini could have easily satisfied my needs back then

but getting the G4 400 with 312 megs of ram, an 18 gig scsi drive and all the little extras just so i could edit mini DV in Final cut pro 1.2 was a lot of money.

it's really an exiting time; now kids who are interested in video and photo can get a mac mini and final cut express which will blaze through that DV footage at speeds i could of only imagined at that time.

but i digress -- so yes i was a 15 year old with my own mac that was more powerful then the computers at the design consulting agency i freelanced for.

meh -- it happens

[Sirus The Virus]

I have my iMac. It's supposed to be everyone's computer in the house, but they bought it mostly for me for my birthday, and I'm the only one who uses daily.

[SummerBreeze]

I think that the younger you are, the more likely you are to have had your own computer as a teenager. It seems like all of my little brother's friends have their own computers in their rooms, but when I was his age that was a little more rare. And when I think about when I was like 13 or 14, no one even seemed to think about having more than one family computer.

[Nermal]

Got a 400 MHz Windows PC when I was 18 (free from parents). Didn't get my first Mac until 20 (paid for it myself).

[rockthecasbah]

16 years old - free from a family friend, Athelon 2500+ XP box w/ 512mb of RAM, 40GB hard drive...as for computers i want to use (mac) i have none that are mine ;)

[greatdevourer]

I think that the younger you are, the more likely you are to have had your own computer as a teenager. It seems like all of my little brother's friends have their own computers in their rooms, but when I was his age that was a little more rare. And when I think about when I was like 13 or 14, no one even seemed to think about having more than one family computer. That's because computers are more widespread. Same thing with cars. Go back a hundred years, having just 1 was seen as a sign of great riches. Nowadays, not having at least one is seen as a sign of poverty

[hotwire132002]

17 on Wednesday. At my office I use a Dual 2.5Ghz G5, pretty decked out for video editing - 900GB of storage (still need more :rolleyes: ), 1GB of RAM (another gig is on its way), Final Cut Studio. I paid for it with savings - but it quickly paid for itself thanks to the production jobs it scored me :D.

At home, school, and in general on the go I use a pretty basic iBook G4 - 1Ghz 12" model from August 2004, which I had CTO with a 60GB hard drive (again, for video editing).

[comictimes]

I have since I was 15, after I spent a summer working to earn the money to buy it.

[kretzy]

I bought my PB in April for school and uni next year. Plus it was getting impossible to share our crappy dell family PC coz my brother and sister were always on it. I'm trying to convince them to get a Mac (hopefully an iMac)

[janey]

my parents first bought me my own computer when i was 6 or 7, i think. Like 1996-97ish. And then a laptop when I was 11. And then from then on, I paid for part/most/all of the computers that were for me from then on. (you might consider me spoiled, but that's fine with me. my parents knew i loved computers, but they're not exactly cheap, so they'd skimp on everything else like birthday gifts and allowances to get me a computer for christmas...plus, i think they got tired of trying to figure out how to use Linux after i'd install it, hehe)

Right now my main machines are a 12" iBook (1.2ghz G4 from like a year ago), a desktop PC with gentoo linux (a64 3500+, whee! :D ), and a laptop someone gave to me a few days ago that I installed ubuntu on...it's like a 500mhz amd k6-3 or something completely insanely old that's about 2x my iBook in terms of size and weight.

most definitely waiting for intel 'Books before I buy one for uni ;) :rolleyes: :cool:

[strydr]

.... Had a Intel 486DX2 66, while my friends not too much later got some Pentium 133MHz desktop.


Nice, my first Mac was a plus, but I built a pc with this 486 with my dad. I remember going to the computer swapmeet to buy the parts. we even had Win. 3.11 (workgroups) to use on it. wow, that was a while ago.

[w_parietti22]

I paid for my iBook. 14 years old.

[jestershinra]

Yeah. Can't count how many computers I have. Paid for the expensive ones, including this here G5, myself, and the others were acquired through a variety of means, mostly scrounging/compositing old ones.

[illegalprelude]

I had 2 at the time. My PM G5 and my Vaio.
Now im 20, I got 4 now lol

[davefan6435]

Yup ive got my woderfully crappy dell pc that I fixed up from off the street that is actually pretty decent. I could afford to buy a decent mac but I could also save it and wait to get a mac for college which is what im planning on doing.

[skoker]

My first was an HP laptop at age 12, paid that one in full, then moved up to a 14" iBook G4 of the last revision. Also have a 12" iBook G3 that I paid for, and 8 or 9 PC's I've been collecting over the last few years from friends and neighbors.

[eva01]

while i was 19 i had my two powerbooks 1Ghz and 1.5Ghz and my dual 1.8 G5. now i am 20 and still have them :P

[joepunk]

The Performa 550 was the family computer bought in the mid 90's. The iMac is also a family computer bought in '99. I was the main user besides my late mother. Tried to teach my father about Mac OS. No go there. My very own computer, the PB, was not purchased until I was 22. Probably still considered a teenager in some people's minds.

[jakochampolska]

i've had 3 laptops since I was 11
first was a hp laptop then my mom spilled tea on it, I was so devasted that I cried for 2 weeks because I paid 3/4 of it from doing car washes in my neighborhood and it took a long time haha

then since my mom felt kind of bad she went out and bought me a compaq presairo which I had for 3 years then it got really slow for some reason and so I stopped using it and used my parent's computers which pissed them off so they said they would buy me a powerbook for chirstmas :) and they did :)
but they said this is my last computer for a VERY LONG TIME lol

[Macmaniac]

Well I am 19 now, but anyway.

I helped buy our families 700mhz CRT iMac, as well as my 15in Powerbook. I love my macs:)

Nothing like the satisfaction of knowing you had a hand in it!

[mjstew33]

I do.

1. iBook G4 1.42GHz 1.5GB 80GB 14" Screen - Main - Laptop - Tiger
2. iBook G4 1.42GHz 512MB 80GB 14" Broken Screen - Server - Don't ask why it broke. - Tiger
3. iMac G5 1.9GHz 512 (soon to be 1.5GB) 160GB 17" - Main - Powerhouse :D - Tiger
4. iMac G3 500MHz 256MB 80GB - Backup - Panther - Graphite
5. iBook G3 300MHz 160MB - OS 9.2 Machine - a hand me down :o - Classic - Tangerine
6. Compaq Pressario SR1010v 2.7GHz (celeron) 1.5GB 80GB - Win XP Pro SP2

Paid for EVERYTHING except for number 5. I used to have a PC (athlon xp 3200+, 1gb, 200gb but my mom took it away and gave me 500 bucks - the PC that I bought was worth 1,300 bucks - i basically got ripped off - anyway, that's how i got the imac)

1. is a replacement for the one that my step mom broke (http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=27639&d=1123481500). Here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=1649943&postcount=22) is how.
2. Old ibook
3. Already explained
4. bought off eBay for 80 bucks :D
5. hand me down
6. My PC that i got for 400 - then i got upgrades - ram, graphics, etc

How did I pay for them? MOWING. :D

EDIT: oh yeah, pics of the entire setup is in my sig - "Picture of my Setup and Server"

[OutThere]

I think that the younger you are, the more likely you are to have had your own computer as a teenager. It seems like all of my little brother's friends have their own computers in their rooms, but when I was his age that was a little more rare. And when I think about when I was like 13 or 14, no one even seemed to think about having more than one family computer.

I think that's very true. I'm 18 now, and from what I recall when I was in 7th and 8th grade (damn that was a long time ago...), everyone had a family computer in their living room or kitchen...I can't think of any of my friends who had their own computer at that point, but now it seems that everyone has their own computer.

Ah well, times change.

[ryannel2003]

I've had my own computer since I was in the Eighth Grade (HP Laptop) and then last year I got my first Mac (eMac). Love both. :)

[puckhead193]

when i was that age i had my computer in my room.....
it was a gateway PII 333 MHZ....

[mikemodena]

I have a dual 2.0ghz with 2gb ram, 2 17" LCDs, bluetooth mouse and keyboard, logitech 2.1 speakers, radeon 9800 pro...

I'm 16, the pmac and ram I paid for, the rest I got from my parents

[20rogersc]

17 on WednesdayWhen I first read it, I thought you had 17 computers :eek:

Trying to find a cheap powermac to add to my iBook at the moment.

::20ROGERSC::

[hotwire132002]

When I first read it, I thought you had 17 computers :eek:

Trying to find a cheap powermac to add to my iBook at the moment.

::20ROGERSC::

Actually, (in addition to having turned 17 yesterday :D) I probably do have 17 computers - but most of them are old, "museum" pieces. It seems whenever anyone around town gets rid of a Mac, it somehow ends up at my house. I'm pretty well known around town as the mac guy - but keep in mind this is a small town. :) Most of those macs are are old, though - 80s and early 90s models.

The only systems I really use, though, are my iBook and G5. The older macs are more collectors items than anything else.

[gangst]

I've got a 12 inch Powerbook 1.33 GHz 1.256 GB RAM, and my family recently got a quad 2.5GHz Powermac, but nobody else hardly uses it other than me, so its mainly mine!

[wiggy4ever]

i am 18 and i have an ibook, a mac mini, a PC desktop, and a dell laptop :)

[applekid]

Got an Bondi Blue iMac that was "mine" (in name only). Upgraded it, placed it in my room running Panther. Not that great for my uses. About to buy a Mac Mini as soon as an updates comes and when I have money! Perhaps a G5 if my parents really decided to give me an extra $500 when I buy my machine.

17 years old over here.

[technicolor]

Not a teen now.

But I got my first computer at age 14 it was a 386 running windows 3.11

[wiggy4ever]

ha, that gives away your age just a little bit...Not a teen now.

But I got my first computer at age 14 it was a 386 running windows 3.11

[GFLPraxis]

I have a 2.5 GHz Pentium 4 PC with an overclocked Geforce FX 5200 (128 MB VRAM) and 512 MB of system RAM. 120 GB hard drive, DVD-RW.

My laptop is a Pismo running Panther. I use it for college.

I'm 17. I'm planning to buy a Mac Mini next year and if it has a decent GPU and the drivers can be written so that I can install Windows and use the GPU, it'll replace my current PC.

[AP_piano295]

i do paid fore my ibook all by myself i dont even have allowance

[adk]

I got a computer when I was 17, of course it was already 6 and a half years old, so count me out of the spoiled group. Although, my parents did buy me a $25 Kmart desk for it....

[~Shard~]

i do paid fore my ibook all by myself i dont even have allowance

Wow, the spelling and grammar police would have a field day with that post... :p ;)

I think this is a good point though - many teenagers who are spoiled get whatever they want from their parents and do not respect the value of money and of expensive devices like this. I think it's great for teenagers to buy items like this with their own money to truly appreciate the value of a dollar, and their own money in general, not someone else's. Far too many kids have it to easy these days, and they'll pay for it later on in life. :cool:

[runninmac]

2. iBook G4 1.42GHz 512MB 80GB 14" Broken Screen - Server - Don't ask why it broke. - Tiger


So... um... how did u break it?


(just curious, dont shoot me)

[mjstew33]

I do.

1. iBook G4 1.42GHz 1.5GB 80GB 14" Screen - Main - Laptop - Tiger
2. iBook G4 1.42GHz 512MB 80GB 14" Broken Screen - Server - Don't ask why it broke. - Tiger
3. iMac G5 1.9GHz 512 (soon to be 1.5GB) 160GB 17" - Main - Powerhouse :D - Tiger
4. iMac G3 500MHz 256MB 80GB - Backup - Panther - Graphite
5. iBook G3 300MHz 160MB - OS 9.2 Machine - a hand me down :o - Classic - Tangerine
6. Compaq Pressario SR1010v 2.7GHz (celeron) 1.5GB 80GB - Win XP Pro SP2

Paid for EVERYTHING except for number 5. I used to have a PC (athlon xp 3200+, 1gb, 200gb but my mom took it away and gave me 500 bucks - the PC that I bought was worth 1,300 bucks - i basically got ripped off - anyway, that's how i got the imac)

1. is a replacement for the one that my step mom broke (http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=27639&d=1123481500). Here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=1649943&postcount=22) is how.
2. Old ibook
3. Already explained
4. bought off eBay for 80 bucks :D
5. hand me down
6. My PC that i got for 400 - then i got upgrades - ram, graphics, etc

How did I pay for them? MOWING. :D

EDIT: oh yeah, pics of the entire setup is in my sig - "Picture of my Setup and Server"
I didn't break it. The parent did.

[runninmac]

Ahh.... wow it is to late at night... i can't read worth crap. But I must say she must have been pretty T.O.ed

[mjstew33]

Ahh.... wow it is to late at night... i can't read worth crap. But I must say she must have been pretty T.O.ed
All i'm going to say is some people have good side effects of alcohol, while others have bad. Doesn't matter the ammount in this case.

[Malfoy]

Well I'm not a teenager anymore (23 and in grad school). Lets take a trip down memory lane:

133 cyrix
first computer i remember using.

HP 333 mhz AMD K6-2 w/3d now!
8th or 9th grade, I cant remember which, was around the time of the Quake 2. I picked up an 8 mb Diamond Monster Voodoo2 shortly after(they had just came out)

Generic 600 mhz Athlon SLOT 1 prebuilt machine
had to be in the 10th grade. Moved the voodoo2 to it.

Compaq 733 mhz Pentium 3(most reliable machine to this day!)
11th or 12th grade. built in everything.

*some point between these times I went thru a Voodoo 5 5500 and a Geforce 2 GTS*

1st summer after college.
Home built 1.4 athlon socket, Prophet II Geforce 3 64 mb, 512 pc2600 i think ram. Had a hydraulic case which were what the alienwares were using at the time.
I had to go outt to the mall to buy the video card at the last minute to make it to a lan party that night.

2nd summer of college
Picked up a 2.4 ghz p4 compaq

3rd summer of college
picked up another 2.4 ghz p4 compaq
dell c610 laptop

4th summer of college
picked up a sony vaio laptop 1.5 ghz Pentium M

December of 5th year
Picked up a 1.5 ghz powerbook 1 gb ram. bluetooth, 128 mb ati.
January of 5th year
Sold it.

Summer before 6th year
Picked up Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC, 2 gb of ram, 2 ghz pentium M, bluetooth, 8x superdrive

November of this year(6th year)
Sold it to roomate

December of this year
Came into Quad 2.5 :)

Ah man, that was fun. Oh yea and at some point I came into possession of this Sony Vaio Imac looking thing. No idea when but it makes a great clock.

[sushi]

That's because computers are more widespread. Same thing with cars. Go back a hundred years, having just 1 was seen as a sign of great riches. Nowadays, not having at least one is seen as a sign of poverty
I think that it is more of a function of cost.

To put it into perspective, I can go out to a used computer store to find a 32MB (as in megabyte) DIMM for $10. In the early 90's, it cost $3,200!

When I purchased my Quadra 840av, the price was around $1,200 for the same DIMM. So to equip my 840av with a wopping 128MB of RAM would have cost me $4,800!

Of course that beat the $12,800 that the early adopters had to pay! :eek:

Computer costs have dramatically dropped the past 10 years. I think that this has been a key factor in their widespread adoption.

[mjstew33]

IComputer costs have dramatically dropped the past 10 years. I think that this has been a key factor in their widespread adoption.
And they are still dropping.

[rye9]

I think this is a good point though - many teenagers who are spoiled get whatever they want from their parents and do not respect the value of money and of expensive devices like this. I think it's great for teenagers to buy items like this with their own money to truly appreciate the value of a dollar, and their own money in general, not someone else's. Far too many kids have it to easy these days, and they'll pay for it later on in life. :cool:

How will they pay later in life? Im not saying I am one of those teens:D I did get an iBook that I didnt buy myself, but I do buy many things with my own money. I bought my own bed, ALL of my bikes, and my own video games. :)

[sushi]

And they are still dropping.
Yep. :D

Although, I don't think the drop in prices will be as dramatic in the next 10 years as we have seen in the past 10 years.

What we will more likely see is that a baseline emerges and stabilizes for each type of item. I bet that some would argue that we are already there. Anyhow, after that, you won't be able to get things cheaper, just more value (features, HD, RAM, etc.) for the given baseline.

I don't know if I am explaining this concept well or not. But hopefully I did.

[sushi]

How will they pay later in life?
Not trying to sound condescending, but I know of no way else to put it. Sorry.

When you are much older, it is very easy to see this answer to this question.

Unfortunately, each of us must learn this lesson in our own time. The sooner the better I might ad.

[iMatt mini]

I'm 15 and I have an old IBM Desktop, an HP Laptop and my 12'' iBook.
my room takes up a lot of electricity.

[~Shard~]

How will they pay later in life? Im not saying I am one of those teens:D I did get an iBook that I didnt buy myself, but I do buy many things with my own money. I bought my own bed, ALL of my bikes, and my own video games. :)

First of all, I was speaking of kids who are spoiled, and have everything given to them - if you pay for things on your own than that's not really being spoiled. ;) But for those kids who do have it easy, don't learn the value of a dollar and the hard work required to earn it, they will indeed pay later in life. They will be shocked into reality when they all of a sudden move out, don't have their parents to look after them anymore, have to get a job, have to take out loans which they will mismanage and not pay back due to a lack of understanding of financial concepts such as compound interest, will not want to work hard since everything was given to them before, and will have a hard time making ends meet when they all of a sudden have rent to pay, car payments, etc. etc.

Yes, I know, a rant, and I am obviously generalizing here, but I have seen it happen many times over. :cool:

Not trying to sound condescending, but I know of no way else to put it. Sorry.

When you are much older, it is very easy to see this answer to this question.

Unfortunately, each of us must learn this lesson in our own time. The sooner the better I might ad.

That's very well put sushi. As you say, that's just the way it is.

[cslewis]

A school issued 12 inch iBook... which isn't technically my own. If I wasn't as lucky as I am, i'd be sharing my family's iMac. :)

[OutThere]

First of all, I was speaking of kids who are spoiled, and have everything given to them - if you pay for things on your own than that's not really being spoiled. ;) But for those kids who do have it easy, don't learn the value of a dollar and the hard work required to earn it, they will indeed pay later in life. They will be shocked into reality when they all of a sudden move out, don't have their parents to look after them anymore, have to get a job, have to take out loans which they will mismanage and not pay back due to a lack of understanding of financial concepts such as compound interest, will not want to work hard since everything was given to them before, and will have a hard time making ends meet when they all of a sudden have rent to pay, car payments, etc. etc.

Yes, I know, a rant, and I am obviously generalizing here, but I have seen it happen many times over. :cool:



That's very well put sushi. As you say, that's just the way it is.

These are the people who credit card companies love.

The average american household has 6.5 credit cards, and far to many of those credit cards are maxed out, behind on payments, or the owner has charged it way past anything he'll ever be able to pay for. Unfortunately the credit card companies then profit off of that, making massive interest on late payments...
:(

[~Shard~]

These are the people who credit card companies love.

The average american household has 6.5 credit cards, and far to many of those credit cards are maxed out, behind on payments, or the owner has charged it way past anything he'll ever be able to pay for. Unfortunately the credit card companies then profit off of that, making massive interest on late payments...
:(

Precisely - you hit the nail on the head. My father thought me about "real-world finance" (or whatever you want to call it) at an early age, and I really don't see why this kind of stuff isn't taught in school. I remember asking a prof in University about the stock market and he didn't even want to talk about it. Thanks to my Dad though I learned how to save money, how to invest, and in general how to be smart with my money. But as you say, there are so many people out there who live beyond their means, are in debt up to their eyeballs and have no comprehension of these sorts of matters. Quite sad really, but as you say, I guess the credit companies don't think so. :cool:

[sushi]

Precisely - you hit the nail on the head. My father thought me about "real-world finance" (or whatever you want to call it) at an early age, and I really don't see why this kind of stuff isn't taught in school. I remember asking a prof in University about the stock market and he didn't even want to talk about it. Thanks to my Dad though I learned how to save money, how to invest, and in general how to be smart with my money. But as you say, there are so many people out there who live beyond their means, are in debt up to their eyeballs and have no comprehension of these sorts of matters. Quite sad really, but as you say, I guess the credit companies don't think so. :cool:
You are lucky. So many parents don't know or don't share with their sons and daughters.

It is really surprising how many people live paycheck to paycheck these days.

Reference credit cards. They are a wonderful tool if you use them correctly. Unfortunately it seems many don't.

I can't believe how many credit card "deals" that I receive in the mail. Some from my current cards and others from new card applications. All enticing me to spend, spend and spend! :eek:

And the interest rates! Yikes! Some are almost like a loan shark charges! :D

Sushi

[EricNau]

You are lucky. So many parents don't know or don't share with their sons and daughters.

It is really surprising how many people live paycheck to paycheck these days.

Reference credit cards. They are a wonderful tool if you use them correctly. Unfortunately it seems many don't.

I can't believe how many credit card "deals" that I receive in the mail. Some from my current cards and others from new card applications. All enticing me to spend, spend and spend! :eek:

And the interest rates! Yikes! Some are almost like a loan shark charges! :D

Sushi
Credit card companies are very happy about this. Recently, my Mom received a notice from her Credit Card bank telling her that they were taking away her rewards because she did NOT carry a balance. Needless to say she doesn't use that credit card anymore.

[slooksterPSV]

Just curious, how many teenagers here are between 13 and 18 and have their owm computer?
I actually have 5, 1 of which I use.
1 - My Baby, my own, mine - iBook 1.33GHz, 512MB RAM, 32MB VRAM, 40GB HDD, 12" model - current revision - Tiger 10.4.3
2 - iBook G3 (gave it to my sister) 500MHz, 320MB RAM, 8MB VRAM, 20GB HDD, 12" model - first snow model - Tiger 10.4.2
3 - iMac G3 333MHz, 288MB RAM, 2MB VRAM, 6GB HDD, Ubuntu Breezy.
4 - AMD Duron 1.10 GHz PC, 384MB RAM, 20GB HDD, 64MB AGP 2x Video Card, Windows XP Pro. (don't use it, became family computer).
5 - HP Vectra 350MHz Pentium II, 256MB RAM, 6GB HDD, 8MB VRAM (ATI Rage video card), Windows 98 - old, in closet, never use.

I use #1 the most... sometimes I have to use #4 for odd jobs. But #1 is mine, bough it 2 months ago.

[~Shard~]

It is really surprising how many people live paycheck to paycheck these days.

Reference credit cards. They are a wonderful tool if you use them correctly. Unfortunately it seems many don't.

I can't believe how many credit card "deals" that I receive in the mail. Some from my current cards and others from new card applications. All enticing me to spend, spend and spend! :eek:

And the interest rates! Yikes! Some are almost like a loan shark charges! :D

Yeah, I know, it's pretty bad. As I said above, I don't understand why simple real-world finance isn't taught in schools - they should call it "Money Management" or something along those lines.

Credit cards are so bad, as you say, if used incorrectly (as they most often are). For people who carry a balance and continually make minimum payments they end up paying 4 or 5 times as much for whatever item they purchased thanks to the stupidly high interest rates. When dealing with small businesses and the like, I have run into Investment Banks, and that in my mind is legalized loan sharking, however credit card companies are right up there as well.

Anyway, straying a little off-topic I guess, but it does tie back into my initial comment about how some teenagers are spoiled I guess. ;) I just hope too many won't have to learn the hard way, yet I know it will happen in many cases regardless...

[sushi]

Anyway, straying a little off-topic I guess, but it does tie back into my initial comment about how some teenagers are spoiled I guess. ;) I just hope too many won't have to learn the hard way, yet I know it will happen in many cases regardless...
Maybe a little off topic, but if we help one young Macrumors member then it has been worth it! :D

There is nothing like working and savings towards a goal. It makes it mean so much more than if you just receive something as a gift.

I was in my 20's before I purchased my first computer. In HS, I dreamed of the Altair 8800, but it was much more than I could afford.

Today there are so many more viable options available compared to 30 years ago. When it comes to purchasing a personal computer, teenagers are very lucky.

Sushi

[Plymouthbreezer]

I do.

[~Shard~]

Maybe a little off topic, but if we help one young Macrumors member then it has been worth it! :D

There is nothing like working and savings towards a goal. It makes it mean so much more than if you just receive something as a gift.

I was in my 20's before I purchased my first computer. In HS, I dreamed of the Altair 8800, but it was much more than I could afford.

Today there are so many more viable options available compared to 30 years ago. When it comes to purchasing a personal computer, teenagers are very lucky.

Sushi


Agreed, if we can help educate even just a few individuals, it is indeed worth it. And yes, the choices are much more abundant nowadays than several years ago, teenagers today are very lucky indeed! :cool:

[reberto]

I do.

Athlon XP 2700+ 2.5 ghz 160 gig HD Win 2k pro 512 ram 6800XT

iMac G4 1.0 ghz 17' 768 ram 80 gig hd 10.4.3

iMac Rev D 333 mhz 160 ram 10.4.2 120 gig HD (makes a great server)

Blue and white G3 450 mhz Rev C? (it has built in ultra-scsi. VERY weird) 10.2.8 (server)

I paid for all of these my self (ok, the iMac G4 was a gift when my dad upgraded to a iMac G5)

[Dynamyk]

I always had my own PC now I got my own Mac too, I'm 18, for everything I've got I've paid at least half, for my PC I paid all.

[maestro55]

I am 17 and I have 5 (4 really, one PowerMac 5500 seems to have a bad monitor).

Homebrew Linux Box running SuSe 9.1
2 PowerMac 5500's (one has a bad monitor)
Emachine running Slackware 10
IBM Thinkpad 390X running Windows XP

I have had a computer for as long as I can remember, multiple machines over the years. Mostly Apple machines (Apple //gs, LCIII, Centris, Powerbook Duo Dock, and the two 5500's make up the Apple computers I own/have owned).

I can just see my first apartment, computers everywhere. I am going into networking so my focus will be on Linux machines, but my main computer will be a PowerBook and I suppose I will collect other Apple products over the years.

[deadlygopher]

stuff in my sig ++;
just got a semi-awesome pc today, X700, A64 2600+, Firewire(on a pc (blaspheme))