Rating: 
Summary: A Major Disappointment
Review: I was really hoping that this book would offer some insights on differentiating the advantages/disadvantages of PC/Windows platform vs. the Macintosh platform. If there is a definite advantage of working on the Mac platform then I want to know about it. The only insight and justification that could be offered over and over was that you just have to experience it. As a graphic designer I work on and with both platforms on a daily basis and I have never been overcome with that warm fuzzy feeling of crossing over to the other side that Kelby likes to talk about. I expected the deprecating PC banter that prevailed throughout the book; I just expected more substance. The lack of substance probably explains the absence of paper and ink. There was an emphatic overgeneralization of how "PC users" are just plain rude to "Mac fanatics." Kelby should try being a PC person in the graphic arts industry if he wants to really experience rudeness. If your only goal in reading this book is for entertainment or you need a morale boost because you are a dejected Mac user, this book will probably serve you well. If you are an individual who is in search of enlightenment, don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Outdated and not really funny
Review: I'm a 20 year Apple user (yes, even before the mac came along), a Kelby fan of most of his works, but this one is gotten old too fast. Most of the stuff he writes about is from way back when macs were years ahead of the windows machines, and that is no longer the case, macs are still so much better yes, but is not black and white anymore. I personally don't find his style funny at all, I find it like he's trying too hard to be funny, too simplistic sense of humour I'd say. Some stuff he says is still true today and there are some things even usefull, but that's about it.
Rating: 
Summary: Whiny and disappointing
Review: I've been a diehard Mac devotee since the mid-80's, and this book was definitely a turnoff. It felt like it was the same whiny magazine column printed over and over (in large type) with slight variations. I agree with another reviewer that Kelby's goofiness and overuse of hyperbole got old quickly. There were typos everywhere. I had to force myself to finish it. A big disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Thank you Scott! Your book is right on target.
Review: If you "don't get Mac" then you won't "get" this book. As a graphics professional I wanted the most creative, easy-to-use, reliable computer available - so naturally I chose MacIntosh. Since, I too have suffered ocassionally in a Microsoft PC-dominated world. Thank you Scott for bringing Mac fanatics everywhere some relief with your quick wit, humor and MacIntosh truth!
Rating:
Summary: They don't get it
Review: It's funny, I don't go off and write fake reviews for PC books... What compels Windows users to make fun of Mac books. In any case, it's not hurting the value this book has. If you haven't secured a copy yet, RUN don't walk to the bookstore. No longer will you just be quite when being teased about your Mac. You'll be able to stand up for yourself. I would say more but it would ruin the book :P.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun and enjoyable
Review: Kelby obviously has spent many years being a Mac owner. Anyone who owns a Mac will relate to this book and laugh at the truth at what is written. Anyone who doesn't own a Mac and wants to know what the passion in Mac owners is all about should read "Macintosh...The Naked Truth". Kelby explains the difference between the Mac and PC user. He write convincingly about why the Mac is better and why Apple doesn't have the market share of the PC. After all, how many companies make Windows machines...how many have already gone out of business ? The Mac even with 3% of the market share stays in business through thick and thin...for similiar reasons that Mercedes-Benz with less then 1% of the automobile market share also stays in business. Kelby points out that Mac people are proud to display the Apple logo...ever see a Windows logo on the back of a car? He explains the pros and cons of owning a Mac and how the cons aren't quite as bad as they seem...The Apple section of CompUSA isn't the only place to find software and hardware for the Mac in that store ! Kelby also explains why the Mac doesn't have the outrageous amount of software available as do the Windows machines. Curious as to why? Quality and tight specifications are a start. Programming for the Mac is tedious and must pass Apples quality control and user specifications. This is the reason applications work better on a Mac. This book is as much fun to read as the Mac is to use ! Warning, reading this book may very well entice you to consider a Macintosh the next time you are buying a computer.
Rating:
Summary: A book bound to shake up PC addicts
Review: Let me make this clear from the outset. I am a Mac user. Have been since the very early days. This book is clearly aimed at me and others who are interested in the background and nuance of the Mac experince, much as "Insanely Great" was. I am also an IT professional who manages Macs, PC's, Windows servers, Linux, etc. So I am no blind, rabid fan. Is the Mac a perfect experience? Absolutely not. Those that have reviewed this book by quoting the anti-Mac mantra just don't get it. They don't understand the underlying RISC vs. CISC architecture of chips, and they sure haven't priced out a mainstream PC or server lately. My son and I bought a PC for Christmas. .... So I guess I could say that no iMac can touch that price. But what I haven't said is that this is a no name clone, with OEM parts, and OEM shrinkwrapped OS. If I added the gear that PC gamers now consider essential, it would have been well over 1k, and more than a similarly set up iMac. He now spends much more time on our 3 1/2 year old iMac, and was amazed at the time involved in properly setting up Windows. In the computer world, dying companies don't last long. But PC fanatics don't rely on facts. If Apple were dying (as they have said since at least 1995), it would have been gone a LONG time ago. These folks buy a clone, spend inordinate amounts of money upgrading it, then claim the Mac sucks because of price. They also spend money on gazillions of PC utilities to block the huge amount of PC based viruses now being circulated. If you want a PC, buy a PC. If, like me, you appreciate a truly unique computing experience, then use your Mac to order this book, it is well worth it. Oh, and I do own a BMW, BTW. Marketshare does not equal quality.
Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: Oh dear. If ever there was a book whose time has gone, this is it. Apple is on the decline, for very good reasons, and its advocates are jumping ship. Guy Kawasaki, once paid by Apple to spread this kind of misinformation, now totes a PC notebook. David Every, who filled page after page of his Mackido web site, recently posted that the difference between Macs and PCs was so small it wasn't worth continuing. Like most anti-PC polemic, the book relies on anecdotal information as opposed to hard facts. And no wonder. When it comes to statistics, Apple comes off poorly. In 2001, 130 million computers were sold. 3.1 million of them were Macs, a market share of 2.4 percent (down from 3.4 percent two years previously). Mac supporters point to similar marketshare of car companies like BMW and Mercedes (but never Hyundai or Kia), without realizing that computers are nothing without hardware and software from independent companies - companies that can spend the same amount and develop for the massive Windows market. Kelby intimates that the Mac is more reliable than PCs, but Consumer Reports, after surveying hundreds of thousands of people, shows that Dell is more reliable. He points to the Mac experience as being much better than using a PC, yet half the people who replaced a Mac in their home bought a PC (the comparable figure for PC owners who bought Macs is just over one percent). Loyalty? The list goes on. In the area of graphics software, the two largest companies (Adobe and MacroMedia) report that almost threequarters of their products are sold for the PC, not Mac. Many programs for Mac have fewer features than the PC versions, appear months after the PC release, or are no longer updated on the Mac side. And the machines themselves are so far behind PCs, it's ridiculous. Mac advocates who cried "MegaHertz don't matter" (seems like whatever the Mac doesn't have, it doesn't matter), now have to explain that "GigaHertz don't matter." No efficiency in the Mac's CPU can make up for PC processors that are two and a half times as fast. Finally, the price is beyond belief. The fastest PCs cost as much as an iMac. Is it any surprise that some Mac owners are nagged by doubts that they bought the right computer? Is it any wonder they'll lap up books like this, without caring just how accurate a picture Kelby paints? And there are over forty Mac advocacy sites on the web, whereas the major sites dedicated to PCs are full of reviews of hardware. If you're happy using a Mac, if it's what you you like, then good for you. But if you want to convince others, you'll need better information than this book provides.
Rating:
Summary: Captures the essence ...
Review: Scott Kelby has finally brought to light what it is to be a real Mac person. The humor and wit in the book make it a hilarious read. I first started reading it in a Cr@cker B@rrel restaurant. After almost every paragraph, I'd have to show my wife what I was laughing so hard about. We got quite a few nasty looks from the people around us.
Rating:
Summary: Good book but not enough emphasis on the beauty of Macintosh
Review: Scott Kelby is one of the smartest and fun-loving writers I have ever followed. And his contributions to Desktop Publishing (DTP) and the Macintosh can never be duplicated. What Scott has accomplished usually takes 4 or 5 very talented people. Only Scott could write a book with this title because his magazine, MacDesign, has become the central switchboard for Windows bashing. The book covers all the important points but I felt that the book would have been more effective if he would have cut short some of the sensationalism and focused more on why the Mac is such a superior computer. As an example, I was a Windows DTP professional for 14 years. I spent an incredible amount of time and money fixing, reformatting and replacing my Windows based computers. Since becoming a Mac user two years ago, I rarely need assistance. And I am not a computer nerd or geek. Forget the ease of use and speed. In retrospect, I wasted a lot of time and money. All that is gone now because I am a Mac user. It is this type of information which is the real naked truth. I feel the readership would have been better served with emphasis on these kind of issues rather than focusing on a neighbor who formed a personal opinon about Scott based on his choice of platform. Now that I am a dedicated Mac user, I share some of the same frustrations as Scott does: Trying to open up a site that can only be open with Windows, wanting software that is only written for Windows, etc. What adds to this frustration is when you know you are using a superior platform. So maybe this book is not perfect but the spirit of Scott's writing does reflect what most Mac users experience. Overall, I do recommend the book to anyone who loves their Mac (just about all Mac users) or anyone who is considering switching platforms.
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