Macintosh... The Naked Truth (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An irreverent, off-the-wall, PC-slammin', totally-biased look at Apple, and what it's like to be a Mac user stuck in a Windows dominated world. Macintosh...The Naked Truth is definitely not another Mac how-to book; it's a mass-market, personality book about a computer platform and the people who love it, and the love/hate relationship they have with Apple. It's about what you feel, how you're treated (and mistreated), and what it's really like living life in the computing minority.The book, based upon the author's hugely popular magazine column, takes a humorous, evangelical look at Apple Computer and what it's like to be a Macintosh user living in a PC-dominated world. The success of Kelby's column lies in the fact that although it makes serious points about Apple's shortcomings, and what it's really like being a Mac user, it presents them in a humorous, often sarcastic, and occasionally sophomoric way that Mac users love. It's brash, unapologetic, insightful, controversial, outspoken, and often hilarious, peppered with 100% Macintosh attitude. Although it pokes light-hearted fun at everyone from Apple CEO Steve Jobs to the PC users manning the Apple section of CompUSA, each chapter contains an underlying message of Apple evangelism, and it can often be as inspiring as it is funny.

From the Back Cover

An irreverent, off-the-wall, PC-slammin', totally-biased look at Apple, and what it's like to be a Mac user stuck in a Windows dominated world. Macintosh...The Naked Truth is definitely not another Mac how-to book; it's a mass-market, personality book about a computer platform and the people who love it, and the love/hate relationship they have with Apple. It's about what you feel, how you're treated (and mistreated), and what it's really like living life in the computing minority.The book, based upon the author's hugely popular magazine column, takes a humorous, evangelical look at Apple Computer and what it's like to be a Macintosh user living in a PC-dominated world. The success of Kelby's column lies in the fact that although it makes serious points about Apple's shortcomings, and what it's really like being a Mac user, it presents them in a humorous, often sarcastic, and occasionally sophomoric way that Mac users love. It's brash, unapologetic, insightful, controversial, outspoken, and often hilarious, peppered with 100% Macintosh attitude. Although it pokes light-hearted fun at everyone from Apple CEO Steve Jobs to the PC users manning the Apple section of CompUSA, each chapter contains an underlying message of Apple evangelism, and it can often be as inspiring as it is funny.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press; 1st edition (March 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735712840
• ISBN-13: 978-0735712843
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,101,405 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tim Robertson MyMac.com Book Review, October 24, 2002

By	Tim E Robertson "Publisher MyMac.com" (Battle Creek, Mi United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

With apologies to Scott Kelby for the title of this MacRelevant column, The Naked Truth, I decided to write a brief article on his book of the same name.

Recently MyMac.com writer Chris Seibold wrote a review on Scott Kelby's latest book, Macintosh... The Naked Truth. I even emailed Scott before we published it, telling him that Chris gave him pretty high marks for his book. (Writers HATE hearing from people who liked their book, in case you were wondering.) Then, a week later, Scott asked me to go read the review of his book at Amazon.com by Paul Thurrott, News Editor of Windows 2000 magazine. I did, and if anything, it simply proves the point Scott made in his book.

In response to Mr. Thurrott's review, I present this from Scott himself.

New Mac book enrages PC users

Scott Kelby's controversial new book, "Macintosh: the Naked Truth" has only been out a little more than a week, and PC users are already rushing to attack it, including Paul Thurrott, News Editor of Windows 2000 magazine who posted a scathing review of Scott's new book on Amazon.com. Thurrott called the book "An embarrassing pro-Mac manifesto for the truly clueless."

"It's because of guys like him that I wrote the book in the first place," said Kelby. "Actually, His comments made my case better than I ever could. Frankly, I wish I could've included his review in my book, because every Mac user can relate to an encounter with a PC user just like him," he added.

Paul's blasting of Kelby's book hasn't hurt its popularity as it ranks as the 14th bestselling Macintosh book on Amazon.com. Kelby adds "I'm sure it's also the #1 most hated book by PC users who can't stand anyone telling the other side of the story."

The book, and the review, can be found at Amazon.com (search for Macintosh: the naked truth)

I also posted our review of the book at Amazon.com's website. It is my hope that our more honest review helped sell more copies of the book that Mr. Thurrott's did to steer people away from it.

Our reviewer, Chirs, was not the only MyMac.com writer to receive a copy of the book from New Riders, the publisher of Macintosh... The Naked Truth. I also received a copy, but deferred writing a review in favor of Chris writing his. But now, with Mr. PC Weenie Thurrott's rant, I feel I should also put my own two cents in.

This is a great book for any Mac fan. The front cover of the book says it all: "An irreverent, off-the-wall, PC-slammin', totally-biased look at Apple, and what it's like to be a Mac user stuck in a Windows dominated world."

That is what the book is all about. It is great, the type of Macintosh book I myself would have loved to write. Had I thought any publisher would have ever taken to the idea, this book would have been written by me a few years ago. (Though not as well written as Scott did, I am honest to say. I am not the master of the written word that Scott is!)

So all you Mac militants (and you know who you are!) Here is your chance to shut up a lying, bigmouth PC editor. Head over to Amazon.com and order this book today. It is only $ after all. Cheap for such a good read! Do it today, and then thank me tomorrow after you read it. You will enjoy it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tim

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book! Kelby Rocks!, March 20, 2002

By	Tim E Robertson "Publisher MyMac.com" (Battle Creek, Mi United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Book Review - Macintosh... The Naked Truth
Chris Seibold (mymac.com)

I have never written a book review before, and I enter the project with some trepidation. Will I make a mortal enemy of the author? Will this hurt my career as an engineer? And most importantly: Will I have to force myself to read the book? My last worry was unfounded; I liked Scott Kelby's Macintosh...The Naked Truth.

Macintosh...The Naked Truth runs a bit high for 219 pages but it's a fairly enlightening and quick read. By easy reading I don't mean the tome is some monosyllabic Dr. Suess rip-off, Scott Kelby uses fine prose and a vocabulary that is not "dumbed down" Yet, as one reads the book, one has the feeling that it was written at a frenetic pace. This is overtly noted in the book and carries through to the final product. The reader is left with the impression that the author believes that any thought the flashes through his noggin as he writes is pretty much worth our time, as Mac aficionados, to read. Surprisingly, the majority of the thoughts that Scott Kelby has are pretty darn interesting. In short, the book isn't so much about computers, though there is plenty of computer info, it's about being a Mac owner, a Mac enthusiast and the daily travails and pleasantries of Mac life.

I should also note that the book has a few jokes. By a few jokes I mean two or three jokes per paragraph. I have just read five randomly chosen paragraphs and four of them opened with jokes, that's a lot of jokes for a book ostensibly about computers. The jokes fly around like gags in a Naked Gun movie. Gags are everywhere hoping to overwhelm your sense of humor by sheer volume if necessary. Some hit and some miss, I'd say they ratio is roughly fifty-fifty. Normally I wouldn't enjoy comedy styling with so many misses but when Scott Kelby misses it is usually not by much and when he hits the results are laugh out loud funny. Only one other author makes me laugh out loud, the widely enjoyed Bill Bryson, so Mr. Kelby is in pretty good company.

The highlights of the book are the pages about CompUSA's store within a store strategy. I won't spoil the surprise, it is hilarious, deftly done and it makes the entire book worthwhile. The low point was the letters from PC user section. I know that reading hate mail and the requisite clever responses can be entertaining (it is everyone's favorite part of my site) but it doesn't quite work in the book. It's hard to get excited about hate mail coming to a magazine when you're not looking at said magazine and hence that chapter feels a bit distant. Plus the pseudonymous Mr. Kelby assigns are fairly inane (Major Dumass, Archibald Stuffybut? Come on Scott you can do better).

Overall I feel certain that any dyed in the wool Mac user will thoroughly enjoy the book. Besides possibly being the first book about being a Mac guy there is enough info for the book to also be a nice reference. The indifferent Mac user and the indifferent Windows will be entertained enough to feel that their money and time was well spent. The rabid Windows promoter (and I believe these people actually exist) will read the book and send Scott some hate mail.

Mac Mice Rating
Mac Lovers:
4 of 5 Mice
General Public (people who use Windows so they can steal software from work):
3 of 5 Mice
Bill Gates, the President of Compaq, PC only Software companies:
1 of 5 Mice

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frustrated with your Mac? Read this book!, October 18, 2002

By	Jacek Artymiak (Lublin, woj. lubelskie Poland) - See all my reviews

...

Do you feel a little insecure about the future of your beloved Mac and Apple? Do you feel that life's unfair, because the PC owners seem to get all the latest cool toys and nobody seems to support Mac anymore? Do you feel frustrated, because you *know* that the Apple's management has made another stupid decision? Do you want to really tell that PC owner next door what you think about his pitiful beige box?

If you answered "yes!" to any of these questions, you need to read Scott Kelby's book. If you don't do it, you are risking your mental health and a life sentence (if you don't have a good lawyer). OK, I know that I am exaggerating, but "Macintosh ... The Naked Truth" is the long-awaited "Chicken Soup for your Mac Soul" (with apologies to the publishers of "Chicken Soup ...").

Kelby describes the life of a Mac user like it is, hard, frustrating, and lonely. (Actually, compared to the rest of the world, the USA is the Mac heaven, try being a sane Mac user in Eastern Europe.) He loves the Macintosh, but doesn't necessarily love Apple. He admires Steve, but isn't thrilled with many of his decisions. He doesn't hate Microsoft, but is angry some of its practices giant of Redmond behaves. Just like many of us, of course. But it's Scott, who finally put on paper what many of us have been thinking for a long time: life on planet Mac is not easy, we know we live in the better world, we know we are right, but the rest of the world doesn't care. It is frustrating, very frustrating, but if we learn to accept that, it can be less so.

The author's observations are correct, funny and made me nod and mutter "Amen, Brother!" page after page (that's like 220+ times). This book should be required reading for all Apple and CompUSA management and personnel. I doubt they will read it, though. Which is a pity.

Scott Kelby wrote a book that I've been waiting for a long time. Thank you, Scott!

Rating: 5 out of 5, for "telling it like it is."