Yet Another Company Targeting PCs At Teens

from the good-luck-with-that-plan dept

This is certainly not the first time a company has tried this (though, the article suggests otherwise), but a new computer is about to hit the market which is specifically targeted at teenagers -- both at the hardware and software level. The accessories and case are designed to be stylish, the hard drive is designed to hold a lot of music, and the software is designed to appeal to busy multi-tasking kids. It also has close integration with a mobile phone (if you happen to be a Sprint customer) and an MP3 player/digital storage keychain device. It looks like the company has at least done a bit more work than past attempts to try to create a more complete package, and they did obviously use a lot of teens in helping to design the system. However, marketing to teens is notoriously difficult -- and the fact that they're signing up teens as commission-based sales people may not go over too well with some. Besides, if the computer comes off as being even the slightest bit uncool (or targeted at kids too young or likely to become obsolete too quickly, etc.) the whole idea could die a quick death. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the finished product (due out this fall), but the fact that it's a desktop machine may be problematic as well. These days, kids tend to identify themselves with their mobile phones, and the freedom that presents, and may be less interested in some desktop stuck back in their room and coated in fuzzy pink fur. Even if kids to prefer to stay in their room at home, having something that's portable is where the real bragging power comes in.