MTV Moves To PCsMTV Moves To PCs

MTV Networks will team with computer manufacturer Lan Plus Inc. this spring to offer computers to its young music-video audience.

The multifunctional device will feature a PC with an AMD Athlon XP processor, CD burner, DVD player, cable-ready TV tuner, and a radio tuner with remote control. MTV is targeting 18- to 24-year-olds with the new device, which will come programmed with MTV content and will be sold on the Internet initially. MTV would not disclose details on the deal with Lan Plus or reveal the price of the computers.

Teen-agers and young adults are becoming computer literate at an increasingly early age, and the way they interact with technology will affect future hiring requirements and application development, Forrester analyst Michael Antecol says. It's no surprise that Napster Inc.'s music-swapping application was written by a 20-year-old, he says. "By late adolescence, kids are adept at using computers," which will give them an edge when they enter the workforce, he says. "Ideally, companies would spend less time training tech-savvy teens," he says. Companies may even need to develop more sophisticated ways to train employees who've been using voice-over-IP applications since they were 13, Antecol adds.

Arizona State University sophomore Amanda Teags, who says she's used computers for most of her 18 years, echoes Antecol's sentiments. "There's going to be a younger population of rising managers because we're more computer savvy than business owners are now," Teags says. "Our experience with technology and growing up with it is going to prove to be valuable in the future."