Customer Reviews

Welcome to Macintosh

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here is a documentary that is so polished and pristine that if not for the footage in the closing credits, you'd swear that this was something that came right out of Apple's PR camp. The aesthetics of the film successfully mirror Apple's aesthetics and could almost pass as a commercial. And the movie is so damn upbeat that even when Apple is being criticized by former employees it seems to strengthen the companies image, not dampen it.

Okay, so I'll just come out and say it. It's a good documentary. A great one, actually.

The director rewinds the clock to the very beginning and shows just how much of an uphill climb innovation really is. There is no voice over narration. The documentary is pushed forward by interviews by former engineers, co-founders, marketers, collectors and pundits of the Apple legacy. Every last single person interviewed is refreshingly candid. Especially a former product engineer who says just how haphazard things were thrown together during his day at the company. The hysterical cynicism of this fellow is reason enough to watch this relatively brief documentary.

Despite the true confessions on such Apple products as QuickTime and the identity crisis of the company, especially in their signature start-up tune; the movie is, unequivocally, a mac altar. It is an open invitation for PC users to repent and for mac enthusiasts to revel in their faith or simply to renew it. You'll hear the phrase "change the world" mentioned at least a dozen times. Maybe more.

The documentary, of course, saves the best for last (or the worst, depending on how you feel about the man). That would be Steve Jobs. Much to my surprise, the documentary seems to side-step most of the brutal rumors about Jobs' brutal personality. Maybe because enough grist has been fed to this rumor mill, or maybe because the creators were hoping to get Jobs to make a cameo in the documentary -- which he doesn't. Never the less, throughout and up to the very end, the documentary comes to the final conclusion that Apple is Steve Jobs.

Okay...so now my two cents about the whole mac thing. And, yes, I'm aware that I'm about to sound like a cranky old grandfather. But the fact is I was using macs before most mac users were born. Okay, maybe not that long. But I must say, it has definitely been, how shall I put it...."interesting", to watch the herd finally start grazing on this side of the fence. These days I'm ambivalent about the mac and the PC that I use. When I watched this documentary, I did so, not to put in my tithes at the mac altar, but just to see what I've missed in the past five years after taking my ear off the ground. The answer: not much. You don't need to have your ear to ground to know about the ipod and iphone craze. This documentary is less interested in the profundity of the mac, and more interested in its enduring novelty. Consequently, it feels like a dignified infomercial, which would make it the only infomercial that I watched in its entirety.

This film suffers from a lack of focus; it's probably an exaggeration to say it is "about" the Macintosh, although everything in it has a relation to the Macintosh. There are lengthy segments with a Macintosh collector (his house and a shed are full of old Macintoshes) and with someone who built a work-alike replica of the Apple I. The first 20 minutes (of an 83-minute film) deal with Apple Computer before the Macintosh, with an emphasis on the Apple II.

The film is compiled from a large number of interviews, although most of the interviewees are peripheral figures such as retailers, bloggers, commentators, and collectors. Only three real Macintosh insiders were interviewed: Andy Hertzfeld (who with Bill Atkinson designed most of the original Macintosh software), Guy Kawasaki (an early Macintosh software "evangelist"), and Jim Reekes (one of the original QuickTime developers). Reekes describes himself as a "recovering engineer" and is much less star-struck than the rest of the cast. The filmmakers clearly idolize Steve Jobs, but they keep this under control and he plays a fairly small role in the film. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were not interviewed, although Jobs appears in several film clips from trade shows.

There is some attempt to analyze the attraction of Macintosh and to characterize those who are attracted; I thought this was the strongest part of the film. It tries to place this attraction in the bigger context of what sets Apple products (from the Apple I to the iPod and iPhone) apart from the competition.

The DVD includes a short "making of" video (which also lacks focus) and much longer versions of the interviews with the participants.

Like all things Mac, this is a one-sided look at the global love affair with Apple. That's OK, though. If you have a Mac and want to understand just how it became such a good machine, get this DVD. But do yourself a favor and read "Revolution in the Valley" first.

As a life-long PC user, I found Welcome to Macintosh a great history lesson on the basics of Macintosh's beginnings. Steve Jobs is not the main focus of this film. It is more about the brand, it's followers and the companies growth over the years. It goes into the rolls everyone who was involved with Macintosh's beginnings played.

The good and the bad are both portrayed. Former programmers who worked with the company speak openly about how the company could have been better at different points in history. What makes this documentary a pleasure to watch is while both the good and bad aspects are covered, this film doesn't get too one sided. It neither bashes nor overly praises the company or it's founders. It remains remarkably light hearted and is quite humorous.

A lot of Mac history is packed into this one film. The stories behind the different Mac computers that have been created, the founders, programmers, cult followers and commentary by people who worked for Macintosh are all found in this documentary. A lot is covered, but the director does a terrific job of putting it all together. This film will be enjoyed best by those who have a passion for computers, but can very easily be understood by almost any audience.

If you *really* would like to know about the Mac's root. This is one of those must have documentaries.

As a Mac user since 1986, all I can say is great, great, GREAT!

Buy it now.

Terrific inside look at many of the creators of this company.
The individual interviews allow each to follow their train of thought.

Welcome to Macintosh is a good movie for any mac fan. It is a very light hearted and informational film. I hope that these guys will make more documentaries.