I was 13.

When I went to University. I bought a Dell (big mistake). Two years later I changed it for an iBook. It's again time to change but unfortunately the money isn't there.

After college. I bought it myself and it was so awesome. It was an Apple iBook - the one that came out right after they stopped with the fun colorful clamshell things.

Wow, I didn't realize how many people got their own computers so early! In 1995 my family got our first PC, 1999 is when we got (dialup) internet, 2004 is when we got DSL. In 2006, the year I graduated high school, $2000 of my scholarship money went to buying my beloved macbook pro that I'm using at the moment.

I was 8 which seems a little young to me now XD

I was about 7 -- it was surplus from my mom's work. It booted from a 5 1/2" floppy. Green-on-black screen -- which it turns out is very good, ergonomically! Only one program -- a really basic word processor.

My real first computer, I can't remember when I got it but it was before 6th grade. It was a 386, running DOS and WordPerfect.... and eventually, Windows 3.0! You know what that means... Solitaire!

an HP desktop as a high school graduation present.

I bought my laptop when I went to college. I bought it the same day that I bought my Eclipse. I had to write two big checks that day, but it was all worth every penny. My laptop is now ancient and I really only use it for surfing the web since I leave it running most of the time.

I got my own laptop when I went away to college.

I got my father's old computer in high school when he upgraded. When I went to university I got a Dell Inspiron, which I still have (having only gone through one year of uni) and loathe completely.

I got my own laptop in college (two years ago).

the family one became mine when my brother left home to go to university out of province. that was around 1999 or 2000. i didn't BUY my own computer (a sweet little powerbook g4) until 2001, though.

I had my first computer that I didn't have to share when I was 14... and 12 yrs later I still have George... He doesn't boot anymore tho.. But I keep him around for sentimental reasons

First computer was a Gateway which was a POS. After that, we had an HP which worked well for a while. Then we had troubles with it and a family friend built us a new one.

About 1.5 yrs ago, I bought my macbook pro and I will never go back to Windows.

My father bought me a desktop for Christmas when I was about 12. When I started college, he bought me a laptop. Just a few days ago, I purchased a macbook

middle school, something like...13~14 I think?

We got my our first computer when I was really little. We had a Commodore 64! I know, I'm ageing myself. lol. But I didn't have my own PC until I was 20 and I bought it before I started my sophomore year of college.

I was about 10 or 11. It was an IBM, complete with not only a 3.5" disk drive but an actual FLOPPY disk drive. Running Windows 3.1 with that huge 16mg of RAM. Oh, and lets not forget the 33.6 dial up modem.

oh yeah. it was awesome.

My dad got me an iBook when I went back to school after the military. So, I was 23 when I got my own computer.

When I went to college - graduation gift

When I went to college - 1997. It was an IBM laptop. I loved that thing!

julibul- I had the same thought. I think that means we are either old now or poor then

we had family computers when I was little, since the 80s, but I didnt get my own personal one until I went away to college.

I got my first computer my last year of high school. Before that I was planing to be a teacher. Now I'm a multimedia major.

I was taking programming classes back in 1995 that I had to get my own computer to keep up with the work

my grandma bought me one as a high school graduation present (an HP desktop) and then 2 years later I bought myself a MacBook.

I just bought my own Mac laptop last April- I was 13.

We got our first PC in 1999 with the super fast dial up lol. Then the next one was in 2002 with dsl, it was like magic. In 06 I got a laptop like i begged for for yrs to be my graduation gift. & in 07 my brother got one to for his 14th bday.

While my family had a computer since I was at least in Kindergarten ('89-'90), I didn't get my VERY OWN until my sophomore year of college, WHEN I BOUGHT IT MYSELF. I'm very happy that my parents didn't buy me stuff. I saved up a lot of money too because I refused to get a Dell. I had an Apple iBook. I loved it VERY much, and it lasted until I spilled wine on it.

I was about 5 or 6 years old when I got my computer Fun fun!

9yrs old. My parents had just bought their second computer (a dell) and gave me the older desktop a Packard Bell (windows '95?) I used that for a year and a half, then my parents bought me my first new computer; a laptop by HP. Now I use a Compaq Laptop from '03; works fine.

^ Forgot to add that by the end of the year I should be getting a new laptop; a Mac Powerbook.

18... it is a Gateway. It still works just fine, but I use my Macbook for everything and I'm getting an iMac next week.

My parents run a business and when I was younger, maybe 2nd grade? I kept messing around with it, a year after we got that, my dad bought a home pc, but for the use of the whole family. Flash forward to more than a decade, I finally got my own laptop at age 20 (nearing 21) but I'm paying for it in installments as I charged it on my credit card. It's 3 years into my college life, so I didn't get it when I started college.

Around 13 I got the world's crappiest laptop which weighed about 35 pounds. At 18 I got a pretty MacBook. Bliss...

I was 9

i had one when i was 8. just word processor and computer games like where in the world is carmen san diego then i lost interest and moved it on out of my room where it collected dust. then i got my laptop in year10

I am older than most of you so I was much older when I got mine. I think I was 30. So waayyyy after college!! My daughter, however, got her own hand me down desktop when she was 13. And her own brand new laptop as her high school graduation gift at 18.

i see lots of you have a Mac laptop...my daughter has one too...do you really love it?? She has problems using it for school related stuff. They take quizzes and tests online all the time and it isn't compatible with most of the stuff the school uses and does. She ends up having to use my computer most of the time. Other than that she loves it. But, since it was bought mainly for school it kinda ticks me off.

i was 16

I got my own laptop when I went to college. Go Mac!!!

i was 5. it was a crappy mac(even then)

My family's first computer was a Gateway Desktop in 1998, and now we still have a Gateway Tower from like 2002(?), my dad wants a friend of ours to build him a new computer sometime soon. My first computer and still currently using, is a Toshiba laptop that I got before going to college in August 2004, and it has been a POS a lot, but I spilled juice on it and got it fixed and it works, so I can't complain too much. I graduate from college this coming Saturday and hope to buy a Mac Book when I get the $$$

my dad always had computers (because he ran his own business),
but i certainly didn't get my own until i was off to college... and bought it for myself.

I was about 9/10ish - my dad bought me a commodore 64. I remember making banners with PrintShop on the printer - then having to remove the edges. LOL

When I went to college. Otherwise, we had several computers, but they were all family computers.

My family first got a computer when I was about 14. I got my own computer when I went to college. It was a Gateway and cost me a ton, but that was right before the cost of computers really really dropped.

When I was 17, just before I left to college. I'm still using it, too! (Toshiba)

I got my own as an adult going back to college.

My kids were luckier than me. My 13 year old got his when he was 10 and my 6 year old got his when he was 5.

WOW, I did not know you were PC user before
Because of the war in my country, my first computer that belonged only to me was my Performa in 1997. I wasn't a child, but I felt like one