Young people are wasting their money on iPhones, Macbooks

Last year, my company had a new intern. Since interns were not provided with desktop computers, he had to use his personal laptop.

When I installed the company's software on his old laptop, I noticed that it was still quite new, running smoothly and meeting both work and entertainment needs.

Before that, he had asked me whether he should get a new laptop. I advised him to continue using his current one, as he was only using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, for his job.

However, after just a month, I noticed he had replaced his Windows laptop with a MacBook, priced at over VND35 million (US$1,437), that he bought with his mother's credit card.

Since then, I have seen him actively posting check-in photos at coffee shops with his newly purchased Macbook on social media, accompanied by captions like "working" and "studying."

The story I just shared is probably just one of the many cases where people have splurged on the latest MacBook, iPhone, and other Apple accessories.

Their reasoning is often that when they see others using them, they feel compelled to buy them to not feel outclassed.

I say this because I have encountered many cases like this.

While I agree that MacBooks are expensive and perform well for tasks requiring high-end processors, such as video editing and photo editing, for normal office work, other cheaper laptop brands are sufficient.

Is it worth spending a significant amount of money just for a MacBook that you only use for typing documents, browsing Facebook, watching movies, and showing off at coffee shops?

Each time Apple releases a new MacBook or iPhone generation, I see many people debate about its appearance but few analyze its quality and features.

It seems that whenever Apple launches a product, people just buy it without much thought.

Not to mention, once Apple products break down, the cost of repairing or replacing components can sometimes be as much as the price of a new device.

Perhaps this obsession has created opportunities for Apple to sell products at an unimaginably high price, such as a polishing cloth for several hundred dollars.

So what is your viewpoint on this matter?

Reader Hoang Duong

*This opinion was translated into English by AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.