Issue No. 22
Reviewed by Bill Chachkes
Disk Warrior 3.0.2: Rebuild & Conquer
Automated Newsletter Publication and Editize 2.0
The Cult of Mac: ?a book review
Monitor review: LaCie photon19vision
Software for the Way We Really Write
From My Keyboard? The Spring has Sprung Edition
Past Issues
Author: Leander Kahney
Publisher: No Starch Press (distributed By O'Reilly Books)
Price: $39.95
I have probably read part or all of ten thousand books in my life. For me want to read a book, its subject matter must really reach out to me. This one's does. It not only deals with my favorite topic, the Mac, but it describes people who—like me—go to great lengths to show the world that they love the Mac OS and Apple computers. Here is one book I had to read from cover to cover, twice.
Other authors have worked the Apple field at length: Steve Jobs's relationship with the media, Apple's relationship with its employees, and all the rest. This book mines fresh ground. The author looks at the fascinating, opinionated, combative, loyal subculture that makes its choice of computer the Macintosh, from users in the Far East (who idolize anything Apple) to everyday and not-so-everyday Mac users here at home; from graphic artists to the owners of Tekserve. If you have been around the Mac industry long enough, you'll recognize most of the types Mr. Kahney talks about meeting at Macworld shows.
Those familiar with Mr. Kahney's articles on the topic of Macintosh for Wired, and before that, Macweek, will recognize his easy writing style. He tells the story in a matter-of-fact way that is a pleasure to read. The book has five parts. Part one gets the reader's feet wet. Part two—“gatherings of the clan”—chronicles several Macworld expos, with a special look into the Mac culture in Japan. The next two parts offer a look at Mods Builders, Horders, Collectors, and People Who Keep Old Macs Running. The last part, “New Frontiers”, considers the phenom that the iPod has become, and asks—and answers— the question “what makes Mac fans so loyal?”
In short, this book is the answer to those who ask you why you eat, sleep, live and breathe Macintosh, why you have so many Mac T-shirts, and why you haven't thrown out a piece of software since 1998.
I recommend The Cult of the Mac to anyone who wants a deeper look at the Macintosh culture (and any sociology student who needs a good case study of a sub-group of today’s society). It's also a great conversation starter. After you read it, display it on your coffee table for visitors to your home to ask about—if they managed to miss the three Apple computers sitting side-by-side in your office when they walked into your house.