[danbrew]

Hmmm... how to ask this question in a diplomatic fashion...? I'm not gonna ask how much you make, but I'm curious as all get out how folks are able to afford $4000 laptops and all the other cool stuff that goes along with it.

Not that I'm picking on AssassyN, but from his posts, it's pretty clear he's getting ready to go off to college - which probably makes him 17 or 18. And he's just dropped at least $6000 on some very cool stuff. Man, oh man, that's more that my first car cost - and I didn't get that until I was 20. (again, not picking on him - hey, good for him!!!! (but lock that stuff up at school...)).

So... what's your financial situation when it comes to Powerbooks...?

(I'll go first... it's a hobby and I'm lucky enough to have the cash to buy a few toys a year.)

[MaxPower2k3]

im 14, and my situation was sort of a combination of 2 of the options. on the one hand, i've been saving my money for years and had a nice chunk saved up when i bought the powerbook. on the other hand, i got a part time job a couple months ago which puts me in the 1/2 income category... either way, im happy with my purchase

[Wet Jimmy]

I'm loaded

That, and receiving an educational discount and then paying for the machine via a Salary Sacrafice scheme helps, too I'm getting a 17" for less than half price!

[CheesePuff]

I recieved my 1 GHz TiBook through the Apple Loan option. I pay about $100 a month at 14.99% interest. In the end (if I don't pay it off fully by the end of June) I will have paid about $650 in interest.

[sworthy]

After I graduated high school 2 years ago, my parents got me a dell 8100 for college.

Fast foreward to last november: I sold my dell for $1900, bought my PB through ADC and paid for the remaining $500 from the money I had earned during the summer.

So I paid for 25%, apple paid for 25%, and my parent's initial investment paid for 50%.

[pamelah]

student loan money which is "extra" right now because my husband is working and making good money. After all the gadgets my total comes to about $11,000CAN.....or like 50 bucks american. (LOL...just kidding...like $7300US.

[swsteckly]

My parents bought me my 17" - I live a long way away from them (they live in Iowa, USA), and they wanted me to have something useful 'from them'. They actually sent it to me from the Oakbrook apple store two weeks ago, when they were just starting to receive stock.

I had the money all saved, though, as I was intending to purchase one on my own. I sold my old Ti 800 for $2100, and just saved a small amount out of my part-time salary as a data archiver at the University. I usually do this all the time, so that I am better prepared when I need to buy a new computer or expensive hardware/software. But, I had more than enough. Now, I have quite a bit of cash left, and I'll probably save most of it.

I paid off a bunch of shareware apps, got a new iPod case, maxed out the RAM in the 'book, got some new earphones (Etymotic ER-4P - $330, review forthcoming), picked up a copy of Final Cut Express and Adobe Illustrator with my edu discount, etc. Still got a lot left, and I'm going to save it for 'next time', because you never know when it's going to be time to upgrade again.

In the past, when I lived with my parents at home, going to high school, the tactic I used to buy the machines seemed pretty cool. They bought me my first powerbook, a bottom-of-the-line Wallstreet 12" 233. Every time I wanted to upgrade, on the average every 10 1/2 months, I would sell the old machine for about 2/3 of the cost of the new one, like this time. And I would usually have the money saved anyway, or if I didn't, they would help me out with what I needed (usually not more than $300-$500). I used only to get low-end machines, but in the last three years I've graduated to high-end ones, and in the last year, I've been able to score high-end machines with big HDs and maxed-out RAM.

[Karim]

This is a funny poll. Although I am interested in the results, so far about 50% of everyone is "loaded"

[gator]

So... all of the 43.5% loaded people out there... how about sending me some money to buy a PB?

[maelstrom65]

I got an Apple Loan and am paying 167/month (CDN) for the rest of my life...hehe....well, maybe not that long, but for a number of years anyway. I have an ex-wife and a son to support so I ain't rich by any stretch of the imagination...

[sensorfreaky]

Originally posted by Karim:
This is a funny poll. Although I am interested in the results, so far about 50% of everyone is "loaded"

I think the only reason alot of people are people are picking "I'm loaded" is because the poll is missing a few categories. I picked "I'm loaded" even though I'm not because none of the other choices apply. It's missing choices like:

"I have a job and can afford to get a new computer everytime the old one no longer suits my needs"

or

"I work at Apple and I get macs dirt cheap"

or

"I don't have too much disposable income but I'm the most financially irresponsible mac addict in the world so I have 3 powerbooks even though I only need one"

or

"I have no money but I bought all this stuff because I'm certain that I'll either win the lottery next week or receive a huge inheritance from a rich relative I never knew existed"

or

"I exchange Apple products for sex"



Then again, maybe everyone really is rich.

[spaced]

How about...

I sold both my older PowerMac with 17" Studio Display and iBook to afford mine.

[morlium]

Originally posted by spaced:
How about...

I sold both my older PowerMac with 17" Studio Display and iBook to afford mine.

ditto ... though i sold my 15" PowerBook for $3,000 on eBay, and bought the new 17"er for $3,300 (shipped, with RAM upgrade) which I now owe 2,500 on.

[nobitacu]

Well, I paid half the amount, and the other half is on my credit card, but that will be paid off soon too, in a few months.

Ming