finding a computer

This one is an interesting one in the world of AI - and I think perhaps you should drop your allegiences.

Let’s start with Linux as an Operating System for Young People:

AI architectures sit predominantly on Linux - the architecture of the web.
That means, Linux is a great place to play with AI; and the cool thing about Linux is it’s free. Linux offers other advantages to, in that the operating system comes pre-packed with free software and can run on high performance older hardware with blistering speeds.
As a young person with limited funds - this may be a good way to save money on par with others. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on windows or mac computers, you get an old machine - and spend the difference on AI software.
Think about it. A $2,500 macbook pro, is probably 3 tier one AI software packages for 3 years. (assuming $400 a year).
Do you really just want the nice hardware, or do you want hardcore models… its a worth consideration as a young person right now.
Yes there are technical skills you need to run a Linux machine, but consider this. AI can basically help you manage it. The level of expertise needed is far lower, and modern implementations of Linux are almost consumer grade in their user friendiness, and theres a massive level of commercial software support for them now. Far more than in the old days.

The second consideration is Mac:

Not IOS. IOS is a joke.
I mean MacOS.
The reason Mac’s are so strong in the realm of AI is for four reasons:

The underlying OS is Linux, so linux based apps work well.
The M chips are phenomenally quick effective working with AI workloads.
Mac’s are the default standard workstation for AI workers in silicon valley, and hence tutorials, tooling and software always seems to be geared for Apple.
The final point is, the hardware is excellent, light weight, robust, nice screens and capabilities. It’s a nich machine to work on.

The third consideration is ChromeOS and stay with me on this one:

ChromeOS is a phenomenal operating system.
Firstly, it is impossible to get a virus on ChromeOS - it has never happened.
Secondly, the devices always run 2 versions of an operating system. The prior version and the next version. Only once the new one is verified will it allow you to move to the next version, and this happens seamlessly in the background.
ChromeOS sits on Linux and it even gives you command line access to Penguin which means you can run all the Linux apps on ChromeOS without the risk of crashing the operating system.
The machines it runs on can be much cheaper to use - simply because they can run on much less hardware.
If you want to run your AI operations in the browser, this is probably one of the best options for young people, but watch out for Adminstrators wantingn to lock it down. If you load it up with a kids account - you cant access the Linux command it’s very limited in what you could do. A locked down Chromebook is a bad choice.

Microsoft Windows:

Just a few points on Microsoft Windows from an AI practitioners perspective (and this isn’t really going to be positive vibes):

Visual Studio Code will run natively on Mac and Linux, so there is no reason to buy a windows machine for that. Ditto Github. Ditto Azure.
The server world is predominantly Linux so all of those tools will work anywhere.
Microsoft Office will also work equally well on Mac now as it does on Windows.
A Word of Warning on MS Office 365:

If you want to integrate MS Office 365 to the sum total of other systems on the Web, don’t assume that. Google products will integrate far far better.
Windows does a great job at trying to lock you into their ecosystem, but funnily this I think will be shredded by AI. Classic examples:

Microsoft Office files, like docx, and pptx, and xlsx files - are all horrible when working with AI. You usually need to install programs to get access to the text. Ditto PDF format files.
And when you produce content with AI, it routinely can provide you content back in Markdown format. This works seamlessly across much of the web as a standard. Not necessarily Microsoft so it’s super annoying.

It is fair to say that Microsoft products ‘moat’ of compatibility is now a liability in the era of AI, and it gets worse.
The term ‘Windows Compatible’ - is based on the X86 architecture. Mac’s new architecture is ARM architecture, which is far more powerful for the amount of power used.
Windows has build software to Work on ARM based Windows Machines. Problem is, applications compiled on X86 no longer work. So it will work with new and modern applications, but many many backward compatible machines wont work.
This is a big problem for Microsoft.
To make this problem worse - it seems the AI industry is ganging up on Microsoft. Most new tools now seem to be prioritising Mac and Linux installs of their products and making Windows either difficult or not able to be installed.
There’s even speculation that Apple may purposely be ‘going slow’ on AI so as to not act like a competitive force. They may just want to open up their operating systems to allow other AI platforms integrate seamlessly - and be a neutral player in the era of AI - with a profit margin built in which seems to be a lucrative model right now.

As a young person, or any person today - what should you be thinking about

You should be thinking about what gives you the most Agency and capability period.

What that means:

You must leave BUDGET for some AI capabilities - even if you’re a low income person, and this is something that can be ‘negotiated’.

If you spend $2400 on a base model macbook pro, and you plan to upgrade your computer every 3 years which is common, you are trading away three years of 3 leading AI tools.
As a student/employee/parent - this is something really worth considering.
If most of your workflow is in Google Chrome - and you just need a machine to access AI models and basic programs like Google Docs, and Gmail - you may be WAY ahead just paying your AI program fees 12 months in advance, and spending your money on that.
Get yourself an old (but powerful) laptop or desktop machine, install something like Linux Mint - and you’ll have a machine that flies. Do a bit of research before acquiring a machine - and use AI to do so. It’s not hard to install Linux. You just download a file, load it onto a cheap USB stick, plug it into the computer, and press the boot load button on startup.
In 10 mins you can wipe an old computer to be up and running, and you’d be shocked at how consumer grade it is.
Google Chrome is simlar in that the machines are simple, and you can install Google Chrome OS Flex on old machines in a similar way. The only limitation is it doesn’t have acces to the Google App store.
The other advantage of Linux or ChromeOS is - it’s got massive amounts of free software. Instead of spending money on licences for Office 365 - you can use other means.
There’s also deals on Chromebooks and Android phones for Google Gemini subscriptions to. This could be a fringe benefit of your new device purchase you hadn’t considered.

You need to have CONTROL of your computer:

Your parents, your teachers, your employer wants to control your computer use and there are good reasons for this.
#1 is cyber security - and ensuring you’re not exposed to scams, hackers, viruses and attacks, and for the average joe that’s something to be concerned about.
#2 the second is CONTROLLING what you do. Yes there are harmful things they want to limit you from, and those things are real.
The cost of this however is they lock down your machine completely and you cant get the access to the services you legitimately do need.
If I was a young person, I’d be doing everything I can to achieve Agency with your computers. You need to figure out how to negotiate that.
Sometimes the easiest way to do that, is keep the work computer, the locked down computer, and just go and build your own linux / chromeOS machine. Do it as a hobby. Make the device look as ugly as possible. Use it to install free games. Whatever the story. Get access to the internet on a machine you can tinker with.
Ditto if you use a computer at work. Contractually that may be what you need to use at work. Doesn’t mean you cant do your own non-work related projects on the side.
How do you learn if everything is locked down.

Conclusion

You really cant build agency with no access to commercial AI.

But you can access it on any OS really.

Think carefully about where you deploy your capital.

You may be luck enough to be given a high end mac. If so, enjoy.

If you’re locked down, or going to struggle - find an older X86 machine, install Linux and go hard. It’s cheap and comes with almost unlimited software to cover all sorts of topics.

If you want it just be simple and cheap - ChromeOS is a great choice too. Just make sure it’s not locked down.

Windows is pretty crap. I don’t recommend that.