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183 Comments
- wildfire, on 10/11/2007, -25/+162Because nothing says cool like an overpriced phone as you take the bus to school. Here's something that impresses me: intelligence.
- EmileVictor, on 10/11/2007, -9/+7770% is not "almost double" 32%...
- sdcarter, on 10/11/2007, -3/+51In other news, parents rejoice!
Cost of data plan < cost of insurance for teenager
Cost of iPhone < cost of teenager's first car - jester55, on 10/11/2007, -7/+53well i'm a teen and i would rather have a car
- BenFaist, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3916-29 year olds is not only a huge unrelating demographic, it is not "Teens"
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -12/+45i am ashamed to be considered teen right in this age.
- moosebaloney, on 10/11/2007, -2/+30Um, to American teenages in public schools, figuring a 2:1 ratio is "like hard, and stuff".
- JavertHolmes, on 10/11/2007, -3/+26The "teens are stupid" comments in the context of buying things with features you don't need are amusing, only because there are a lot of adults out there guilty of the same thing. How many adults get into a new hobby -- say, golf -- and instead of going out and buying a used pair of cheap clubs because they're unsure how long they'll actually care about golf, instead go out and buy a brand-spanking-new pair of mid-end clubs? What about new guitar players out there who go out and do the same thing? Amateur photographers? Amateur tennis players?
It's not just teens that covet goods they don't necessarily even need yet. - webweb, on 10/11/2007, -1/+22So driving to school in a '79 Trans Am, wearing an REO Speedwagon shirt is no longer cool?
- whatthefu, on 10/11/2007, -10/+31I never understood why people gave a ***** about having the best versions things they don't need.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -3/+21When I was a teenager kids used to place the same value on overpriced gym shoes named after basketball players. I have a positive feeling about the upcoming generation if the 'cool kids' are the ones with the best technology.
- cquinnd, on 10/11/2007, -1/+14"almost double" 32% would be 63% or slightly less.
"double" 32% would be 64%.
70% is "more than double" 32. - LittleDas, on 10/11/2007, -2/+13I just want to speak from a position of personal experience here, being a teenager myself,
I had someone in my grade ask me if a banana was an animal a couple weeks ago.
Yeah. - moosebaloney, on 10/11/2007, -13/+23Teens covit anything that is shown in commercials every 5 minutes on MTV... The iPhone nearly costs as much as any car I would buy a 16 year old.
- jasoncz1, on 10/11/2007, -2/+11The difference is a car takes you places and express much needed freedom and individuality, whereas a phone keeps family and friends in reach. So on surface the report may seem to indicate a shift in consumer behavior, but dug down deep, no pun intended, research may find that teens these days find instant connections with family and friends more important than before.
- xerus, on 10/11/2007, -12/+19When a company charges over double what it takes to manufacture, then its overpriced.
- vrillco, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8I buy stuff that impresses ME. The fact that my friends are jealous is merely a testament to my exotic high taste. I'm an extreme computer and electronics nut, but surprisingly (well, that's the word my friends use) I don't lust after cell phones and I, too, feel the iPhone craze is completely retarded. That's the consumer culture that's been bred in North America. At least Apple isn't as evil as some of the other mega marketing machines *cough*SONY*cough*.
Mind you, I left the teenage world over a decade ago, and even then I was already an elitist jerk :) - GeneralFailure0, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7I think you'd be less optimistic if you watched the way most people my age text message.
- ahhell, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7I hate to break it to you but....a son that loves buying clothes and shoes??? He's gonna come out of the closet one day 'cause damn is he gay.
- K3ITHK, on 10/11/2007, -3/+10Um, for digg users, spelling words like "teenagers" is "like hard, and stuff."
- rhinopig, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8I don't think 'almost double' means less than double. I think it means ALMOST (exactly) double. Its just saying that it isn't exactly double but almost is.
But yeah I think the common interpretation is that it means less than. Just not the technical meaning.
EDIT: another reason people might think of it that way is because of advertising. "you get almost double the amount for (1 cent) less than $5" ... If you get more than double they will always says "you get more than double" because it makes it sound like more even though 'almost double' would probably work too. - jfsimard79, on 10/11/2007, -3/+10How about not buying either.
- webweb, on 10/11/2007, -3/+10That's because you've obviously got a brain. It's a rare thing to see in a teenager nowadays.
- vertinox, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Actually if you old timer's haven't been paying attention... Most teens these days are legally restricted from driving cars like we could back in the 90's. Most kids these days aren't able to drive themselves at a reasonable hour (depending on state) due to state laws on the matter.
- dtraneighty8, on 10/07/2008, -6/+12I think what EmileVictor is trying to say is 70% is MORE THAN DOUBLE 32% but the article says ALMOST DOUBLE when in fact, it is greater double.
- endyminion, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7"Domo Airigato, gozaimas." You essentially just said: "Very many thanks very much!".
and where the hell did that comma come from?
You're killing me here, Smalls. - cquinnd, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8Because people are marketed at to believe they "need" these things, instead of just wanting to have them because they seem cool.
That is why they give a ***** about things that don't really matter in their own lives.
The best version is often considered to be "the best" because it is made to seem cooler than the other versions,
which feeds right back into the marketing of the product, because people associate greater value to that version. - clark24, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7Wow forget about RTFA, how about some of you start be reading the article's description at the top of the page.
They're not asking, "Jimmy pick one: new car, or iPhone?" And Jimmy takes the iPhone FTW!
The point the article is trying to make is that a car is no longer a "status symbol" for teens. Is this such a bad thing? In middle school, it was about who had the newest "Jordans", "Pennys", or whatever player-endorsed sneaker was cool that month. When I was in high school, having a car was cool if you were a sophomore or junior. As a senior, having a car with rims and speakers was cool.
Rims won't make you any smarter, but having the Internet in your pocket might. It could also make you a porn-addict, but either way, I think these kids are better off! :) - capecodcarl, on 10/11/2007, -3/+9The iPhone isn't a "smartphone" and Steve Jobs was disingenuous when he compared it to other real smart-phones like those based on Windows Mobile or PalmOS which support such basic tasks as running third-party applications on the phone. Palm Treos, Blackberries, and Windows Mobile phones have had that capability on Cingular/AT&T for years now and yet an iPhone wth the same capability was deemed a security risk? Sounds like they were looking for a simple excuse to justify the lack of basic "smarts" in the iPhone and, as usual these days, people use security as an excuse. Don't even bother trying to tell me AJAX web sites are applications either. My Motorola SLVR I got for $35 even supports Java applications like Google Maps, games, an SSH client, etc.
- Jwzupancic, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8It amazes me how much our demographic tries to fit in.
Example: Half the people degrading the 'teen' age group are most likely teens themselves, trying to fit in with the Digg community.
I'm 16, turning 17 on July 22. I also just purchased an iPhone, and I don't have a car. I had a choice to save my money, and get a car, but I really just thought it through, and I understand I really don't need one right now.
Yes, it means freedom, but honestly, how much freedom? If my parents want me back at the house, I'm sure as hell coming back, so really, there's no difference.
Go ahead and call me a 'nerd', 'geek', or lame.. whatever. It was my choice, don't sit here and degrade my demographic because you don't have the ball to step up and enjoy your younger years. We're all different, don't try and conform me to one standard. - clark24, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Initial studies of "Gen Y" do show that they will be much more family-oriented than us Gen X'ers. You hear about all of these stories about parents coming to post-grads first job interviews and other things that sound absurd to those who are even a little older. For better or worse, this is probably how it's going to be in the future.
Even when kids go away for college, it's not like they have to write letters to their parents, or call them every Saturday. With e-mail, IM, text messaging, and everyone owning a cell phone, kids never have to "let go" anymore.
And before anyone asks, no, I can't cite sources of these studies right now. It's mostly speculation anyway. - coolcash2005, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7REPORT: Teens lacking intelligence covet iPhone over new car.
- deadbaby, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6"assuming it was a reliable vehicle in good shape to begin with)"
Good luck finding that for $600. - cquinnd, on 10/11/2007, -3/+8Not cheap, smart.
You can still get a good learner's car for very cheap in this economy. It is likely to end up trashed or wrecked at some point at the teen learns how to take care of it, and (assuming it was a reliable vehicle in good shape to begin with) it is cheaper on insurance and maintenance than a newer vehicle would be, which provides another form of "insurance" that you can more easily afford to replace the vehicle when it gets too trashed or wrecked to
be usuable. And if it actually survives long enough for the teen to move up to a better car, the savings can be applied to a cooler ride on the next go round. - tformed, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6If these teens where any smart buy a used almost new car saved a hundred bucks and use that to buy an iphone. You get two things.
- Brak710101, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Heh, well I'm a teen.
...And I have both. - lieutenantmudd, on 10/11/2007, -5/+10That's because the rite of teen car ownership has been eroded. Teens don't have their "own" car anymore, they are just assigned one out of the family carpool. Ask a teenage if they would give up the right to drive at all inexchange for getting an iPhone and I bet you'd get very different answers.
- iashraf, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6Well no *****!
- rento, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Give it a couple of months they will regret it to be stuck with an iphone while they could have had a car to practice drink driving and uncomfortable clumsy sex.
- rhinopig, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4no, because you are EXACTLY there. You would say "we're almost there" if you'd gone to far and had to travel back the way you came.
- Toshibi, on 10/11/2007, -3/+7Growing up I always had the crapiest shoes and crapiest technology. This drove me to learn how things worked and to innovate with what I had instead of merely saying "Mommy and Daddy, please buy me a....". I think I'm a much better person for it.
- Szandor, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Dugg, simply because night fishing on a windswept UK beach sounds awesome.
- leonardoty, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5Mitsubishi isn't in Tokyo, neither is Subaru, and Mazda is a Ford conglomerate. What are you talking about?
- Gee1004, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5as long as you have the money, you can do whatever the ***** you want
- Gee1004, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5Society put this crap on the kids. Nice clothes, nice shoes, nice jewelry, blah blah blah. But an iPhone is $600.00 dollar fashion statement, A nice car is between $40,000-$500,000. And if you have the money, you can have both. That's the real reason.
- AllenL, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6But it's just a cell phone...
- mfratt, on 10/11/2007, -5/+9The most distrubing part about this is how true it is that people will actually buy stuff to "impress their friends". I have Blackberry because it does what I need. Not to impress my friends. I drive a BMW because I enjoy driving it. Not to impress my friends. Retards.
- othersomethings, on 10/11/2007, -1/+51. I had to pay for my own car and insurance when I was a teen. Hence I didn't drive till I was 19.
2. I had to pay for my own cellphone and plan. Hence I got a cellphone around the same time I got a car.
And they both kinda sucked, but at least I had them and I paid for them myself. I learned a lot of financial responsibility that way, and gosh darn it - so will my kids. - ferrofluid, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Ditto, I had a pay-as-you-go cellphone back in the late 90s mainly for use while night fishing (on UK beaches),
Useful gadget, but started getting annoying voice and text adverts, very distracting while standing on a dark windswept beach trying to catch fish.
so gave it away and been happily cellphone free ever since.
Also dint like the fact that the cellphone towers can up the phone transmitted power up to 2 watts if at the extreme of a cell, drained the battery in less than 5 mins,
brain tumour no thanks. - EXreaction, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Not all are stupid.
There are just as many stupid teens as there are stupid adults. -
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