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Books
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Review: "Cult of Mac" and "iPod Fan Book"
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© 12-23-04 Dr. Neale
Monks
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- Book: Cult of Mac
- Author: Leander Kahney
- Publisher: No Starch Press
- Publication Date: November 2004
- ISBN:1-886411-83-2
- Info: 280 pp
- Price: $39.95
- Book: iPod Fan Book
- Author: Yasukuni Notomi
- Publisher: O'Reilly
- Publication Date: September 2004
- ISBN: 0-596-00776-0
- Info: 128 pp
- Price: $14.95
Apple is one of the world’s most successful
brands: the Apple logo is as instantly recognisable
as the Nike swish or the Coca Cola monogram. Uniquely
for a computer company it is as brand that is seen
as hip and cool, rather than part of the corporate
world. While its history has often been turbulent,
it has always managed to secure a place in the affections
of vast numbers of people who buy Apple products
as much for the image they convey as for any practical
or economic reasons. Indeed, for those who do not
routinely use Apple computers, the affection, even
adoration, that many users of Apple products hold
for the brand often seems illogical and inexplicable.
So while Microsoft, Compaq, IBM, and the others
may have many happy users, even advocates, they
don’t have fans. Two books that focus on this
deep and emotional relationship between the consumer
and the brand are “Cult of Mac” from
No Starch Press and the “iPod Fan Book” from
O’Reilly, and if you’re looking for
something to give the Mac fan (or fanatic) in your
life something that you know will please them, then
you can’t go far wrong with either book.
Cult of Mac
This is without a doubt one of the very best books
about the Macintosh to have been published for many
years. It isn’t a history of Apple computer
(if you want that, try the excellent “Apple
Confidential 2.0” by Owen Linzmayer, also
from No Starch press); but rather a look at contemporary
attitudes towards the Macintosh and the Apple brand
around the world. The “around the world” aspect
of the book is one of the things that make this
book so special: though readers in America might
not know it, but Mac-fandom runs around the world,
and in Japan especially there are some of the most
ardent and active supporters of the Mac to be found
anywhere. Similar, there are bits about Mac users
in many other countries, and part of the message
of this book is surely that affection for the Mac
is something that isn’t specific to any one
culture, but to ‘geek-culture’ worldwide.
Based loosely on his Cult of Mac column in Wired
News, Kahney divides up the book into a series of
chapters tackling diverse topics such as Mac-inspired
tattoos, Mac OS advocacy by volunteers in computer
stores, and the endless upgrading of the Color Classic.
There isn’t really much attempt to try and
explain the enthusiasm for the Mac in some overarching
way, but there are some nice psychological analyses
here and there that may give an insight into why
the Mac has such a unique place in the hearts of
so many people. There isn’t any judgment on
the part of the author as to whether some people
are either nutty about the Mac or just plain nuts
either, and indeed the author goes out of his way
to avoid leading the reader to any such conclusion
as well.
In part, the book explores the association the
Mac has with the counter-culture, why Apple as a
big, rich corporation is so successful at being
seen as part of the side opposing Big Blue, Microsoft,
and all the other Wall Street worthies. Nowhere
is this better evidenced that in the section about
the Mac and drug use; from the a Mac-version of
Pac Man (where our hero chomps at marijuana leaves)
to compact Macs converted into bongs, there’s
no question that the Mac is the computer of choice
for the flower-power generation. Other undercurrents
explored include the Mac and sexuality; after all,
have you ever heard anyone call a ThinkPad sexy
or describe Windows XP as lickable?
The focus of the book is on the people rather
than the technology, though there are plenty of
pictures and stories about unusual or popular Mac
designs. For example, among the weirder Macs described
is a Mac SE/30 tailor-made for an American intelligence
agency. But it is the people that get centre stage,
some of whom will be familiar to many Mac users
but others who will be completely unknown. Indeed,
part of the charm of the book is that it brings
together so many stories about ordinary if disparate
people doing amazing things either to express their
love for the Mac or to advocate the platform to
others. The book is at once inspiring, amusing,
entertaining, and surprising.
One of the really great things about this book
is its design: as befitting anything about the Mac,
great use is made of typography and illustration,
but there are also more subtle but enjoyable touches,
such as the use of standard Mac icons and desktop
views for the chapter headings and a neat visual
representation of the start-up chimes at the beginning
of the book. This isn’t a book that has to
be read cover to cover, and part of the fun of this
book is that it is undoubtedly a great coffee table
book that is attractive to look at and flip through,
as well as to read and ponder with care.
All told, this is a fantastic book that deserves,
indeed demands, a place on the bookshelf of any
Mac user.
iPod Fan Book
A completely different sort of book to the Cult
of Mac, the iPod Fan Book is a slim and attractive
volume that focusing firmly on the technology and
what you can do with it. Unabashedly a fan’s
book, there’s little comment on alternative
MP3 players or the pros and cons of the actual iPod
designs. Instead, it’s basically a book for
people who have an iPod and want to read something
with more meat to it that the slim iPod User’s
Guide that came in the box.
Notomi covers both the iPod and iTunes package
itself as well as the wealth of accessories and
add-ons available, from loudspeakers to carrying
cases. Looking at the iPod first, it explains how
to organise your music, synchronise the address
book and calendar, and connect the iPod to your
hi-fi system. One of the nice things about the iPod
is the surprise many people have finding out that
this little device can do so much more than just
play music, and Notomi’s enthusiasm for the
iPod bubbles through at every level. His writing
is authoritative, clear, and easy to read, and the
focus is very about the style of the iPod rather
than the technology.
Later chapters cover add-ons and accessories,
both software and hardware, comparing various options
and commenting on their usefulness. These aren’t
in-depth reviews and there aren’t comparisons
of different products within a category, so if you
need that sort of thing then references to any one
of the many iPod web sites would be a better alternative.
Similarly, this book doesn’t cover troubleshooting
or software hacks to any great extent either, and
if this sort of “power user” information
is what you need, then you’ll probably want
to supplement this book with something like Biersdorfer’s “iPod & iTunes:
Missing Manual” which we reviewed here
at Applelust.
Like the Cult of Mac, the graphic design of the
book is gorgeous. Full colour is used throughout,
and combined with its square format about the size
and shape of a CD jewel case, this is a stylish
book that’ll go down as well with music fans
as it will with computer geeks. While not quite
as widely seen in the US, these small, art house-style
books are very popular in Japan and Europe, and
the “iPod Fan Book” will fit neatly
in with them, as indeed will the other available
book in the series, the “PowerBook Fan Book”.
The “iPod Fan Book” would make an
especially good choice as a Christmas present for
someone who’s also getting an iPod this year.
It is attractive, easy to read, inexpensive, and
reflects high production values. It’s platform-neutral,
so will go down just as well with an iPod user that
has a Windows PC as with one that uses a Mac. Highly
recommended for any iPod user.
- Dr.
Neale Monks
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