Comment iPhone/iPad can also provide opportunities (Score 1) 965
Pretty much any device can be tinkered with, assuming the tinkerer has the right combination of curiosity and determination. Those of you who remember how easy it was "back in the day" are forgetting how rare (and expensive) computers were, and the desire to actually program one? It took a special kind of person to spend hours at home learning Basic instead of playing with the other kids outside.
These days, a kid who's curious about what makes the iPhone tick, can Google the answer in 30 seconds. One Mac Mini, keyboard, and monitor later he can start tinkering. Throw in another $99 for the iPhone development certificate and he can put his applications on his iPhone. Total cost: ~$700. The computer my parents bought me in 1992 to learn C cost over $3000.
Even better, if the kid tinkers for awhile and gets to the point where he can make something halfway decent (or clever), he can throw it on the App Store and have a chance to actually make some money! There's quite a few teenagers hanging out on the iPhone development forums who are doing just that and actually making some decent money (for a teenager). It's pretty amazing actually.
These days, a kid who's curious about what makes the iPhone tick, can Google the answer in 30 seconds. One Mac Mini, keyboard, and monitor later he can start tinkering. Throw in another $99 for the iPhone development certificate and he can put his applications on his iPhone. Total cost: ~$700. The computer my parents bought me in 1992 to learn C cost over $3000.
Even better, if the kid tinkers for awhile and gets to the point where he can make something halfway decent (or clever), he can throw it on the App Store and have a chance to actually make some money! There's quite a few teenagers hanging out on the iPhone development forums who are doing just that and actually making some decent money (for a teenager). It's pretty amazing actually.
