Mac Geek Gab Podcast #36: Intel Mac Implications, Listener Feedback, and a QuickBooks Warning
Just a Thought - Conversations with Steve: MacBook Pro?
by
- January 24th, 2006A dark blue Mini Cooper zips into a parking space on Ellis Street near the where the street intersects Stockton; the driver smiles at his luck for finding such a nice sparking spot so close to his destination. He gets out and looks around; not far from where he's parked is one of Apple's premier retail stores, which are all a-bustle because of the yearly Macworld convention going on at the time, and the announcements that were made at the keynote. But, the Driver does not walk in the direction the Apple Store, instead, he heads up the street towards a storefront overhung by a black awning that advertises steaks and seafood: the Les Joulins Jazz Bistro.
The tables in Les Joulins' main dining room were more than half seated with early evening diners chatting amiably as the sounds food consumption and jazz drown the street noise just past the entrance. The Mini Driver likes Les Joulins, its eclectic menu offers a real choice, and few things beat a good jazz jam session.
The Mini Driver often had also found that the people he met could easily immerse themselves into the dinner crowd, leaving their notoriety at the door and becoming just people out to enjoy a good meal and good music.
Still, If he really wanted privacy, he could ask that his party be seated in the balcony, if it weren't already being used. From there he and his guest could eat and have a commanding view of the stage while limiting the view others might have of them, and they might actually enjoy a meal without the constant barrage of photo seekers, or autograph hounds.
"Privacy," the Driver murmured to himself, "that's the ticket." The day had been a hectic one, and he knew his guest would likely feel the need to deflate, to kick back and relax before heading back to Cupertino
The restaurant's host suddenly appeared, as if by magic, and, upon recognizing the Driver, approached and said in a low, almost conspiratorial manner, "Your guest has already arrived. Right this way please."
The Driver was about to reply, but the host had already turned and was winding his way through the tables towards the balcony stairs. The Driver had little choice but to follow. A few diners recognized him as he passed them; some whispered and nodded in his direction (he nodded back), some stopped eating, forks half-raised towards mouths froze open and eye wide with disbelief (he merely smiled at those poor souls).
The host had stopped at the foot of some stairs and indicated the Driver should continue up. The Driver looked up the stairwell; it was dimly lit and empty. Again, the Driver started to ask the host about his guest, but the man was already halfway across the dining room floor, heading for his post at the restaurant's entrance.
"Ooooo-kay," The Mini Driver said, "weird guy."
"You gonna lurk at the bottom of the stairs or come and join me'," asked a voice from beyond the top of the stairs.
The Driver recognized the voice at once and climbed the steps without further hesitation.
"I'm not complaining, mind you," the voice continued, "cuz I like to get out and away as much as the next guy, but why can't you call and make an appointment to see me like a normal person? Why all of this skullduggery? "
The Driver approached a man seated near the end of one of the two long tables that occupied the balcony and shrugged, saying," Why be normal? Besides, I kinda figured you'd get a kick out of this place. Was I right?"
The Mini Driver took a seat opposite Steve Jobs, who smiled and asked. "Did you pay that guy to act weird?" indicating the host.
"Nah, that's just the way he is. He kinda creeps me out."
"I can believe it," Steve said, nodding.
The driver noted that there was a place setting already on the table, and his guest was drinking a chilled bottle of water. The Driver picked up his own bottle, twisted the cap off, and took a deep pull. The cold water bit pleasantly as it washed the dryness from his throat.
The Driver noticed that Steve looked a bit puzzled, "Something wrong?"
"There are no menus. What are we having," Steve asked?
"I don't know what you're having, but I'm getting a steak sauteed with portabella mushrooms and red wine, asparagus tips, and peppered potatoes. Then, if there's room, I might go for some dessert. Just tell the waiter what you want. Don't worry, it's on me."
"Sounds interesting, though you really should drop kick that steak. At least get some fish instead."
"You eat the fish if you want. I want... no, make that I need a steak right now. And dinner rolls with lots of butter."
"Fine," Steve said. "I'll read a nice eulogy at your impending funeral service; something that includes how much you needed steak in your life."
"Ha-ha. I'll probably out live you," the Driver said.
"Yeah, sure you will. The next sound you hear, besides that band, which is really good, by the way, will be your arteries hardening" Steve said, closing the subject. "Listen, did you catch my keynote?"
"Yep! Would not have missed it for the world." With a wry smile the Driver adds, "You know, you are getting to be quite good at keynotes. Ever think about doing it for a living?"
"Yeah, I thought about it. Keynoting is only fun if you like what you are talking about, and the only way I can be sure I'll like what I'm talking about is if I build it myself."
The man's left eyebrow rises, questioningly.
Steve quickly adds, "Or have the company I run build it for me."
"I kinda figured that it's been a while since you were last in a garage with a soldering iron in your hand."
Steve sits back and smiles wistfully. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"How long ago was it when you and Woz came up with the Apple I?"
"About 30 years."
"Get outta town! 30?"
" Yep."
"Man! That's hard to believe. You started out with a few circuit boards cobbled together, and now look at what you've got; hardware and software that's the envy of the industry, which you helped create, by the way."
"Yeah, I know."
"iPods are selling faster than Necco can sell Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Mac mini has proven itself to be a good idea, and now, you've got Macs with Intel dual core processors. Man! You are really cookin'."
"I've been lucky," Steve says modestly, then, puzzled, he says, "I'm afraid to ask but, just what is a squirrel nut zipper?"
"You are kidding me, right? You've never had a Squirrel Nut Zipper?"
"Right now, I'm not even sure if it's legal."
The Driver laughs. "It's candy, my friend. The best bit of peanut and caramel sweetness Man has ever devised, and it used to cost just one thin penny."
Steve does not appear to be impressed. "Oh."
"What'd you think? I was getting kinky with tree dwelling rodents?"
"Hey, what you do at home is your business." Steve makes a show of looking around. "Where's that waiter?"
"Oh, he'll be along shortly. Listen I've a question that's been bugging since the Keynote."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"Why, in the name of all things digital, would you name it the MacBook Pro?"
Steve's face reddens a bit. "What's wrong with MacBook Pro? It's a Mac notebook and I'm aiming it at the professionals; MacBook Pro. It works."
The man frowns impishly. "Yeah, works like a cold sore. At least the name 'PowerBook' gave the inference of vigor."
"But there's no 'Mac' in the name," Steve counters. "I want to make sure that people know that this is an Apple Mac notebook though there's an Intel processor running inside it."
The Driver shifts in his seat. "Well, maybe you could have called it the UmphBook, or maybe the WorkBook. Heck, even GoMac Pro sounds better than MacBook Pro."
"The GoMac name is already being used, unfortunately," Steve replies with a note of exasperation. "Besides, MacBook Pro is a good name. People will buy it because it kicks major butt."
The Driver nods, "Granted. Those dual core Intels will make it fly, but Steve, MacBook Pro?"
Steve ignores him. "And the new iMacs are sure to be hot sellers."
"Absolutely. I want one myself. But... MacBook Pro?"
"And the iPods will continue to do well until the next iteration, where I hope it will do even better."
"Yeah, I'm sure it will, but Dude, MacBook Pro?"
"You really need to focus here, Buddy Boy," Steve says, obviously irritated, "I'm trying to tell you something important."
"Sorry," the Mini Driver says sheepishly.
The waiter announced himself and took orders, then vanished almost as quickly as the host had.
"They must be brothers," Steve mused softly, referring to the waiter and host, and their penchant for disappearing.
"What was that," the man asked?
"Nothing," Steve replied. "So, are you still driving that Mini?"
"I drive a Mini," the man answers, "But not the same one. I've got a rag top now."
A boyish twinkle gleams in Steve's eyes. "Cool! You have got to let me take it for a spin."
"Absolutely. Any time. In fact, you can take it tonight if you have the time. It's outside on Ellis St." The Mini Driver slid his keys across the table and Steve grabbed them.
"You need a cab or something? Where are you staying," Steve asks.
"Oh, I've got a friend who lives nearby; she's got a really comfortable couch. I plan on crashing there once I'm done here. Just hit me on my cell when you're done and let me know where to get the keys."
The Mini driver notices Steve is playing with the Mini keys. "Something wrong/"
"Are you sure this is kosher," Steve asks? "I don't want to leave you stranded or anything."
"Donna will be along as soon as she gets off work, so it is all good."
"OK, but you call me if you need your car back, or anything else, you hear?"
"Yeah, sure. No problem."
"Now that you are feeling like you owe me something; I do have one question before dinner arrives."
Steve pushes back from the table, leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest, and said, "OK, out with it."
The Mini Driver feels a bit self-conscious, but presses on anyway. "So, Steve, you've named your new laptop the MacBook Pro, am I to assume that there will be a non-pro MacBook?"
Steve remains typically silent, seeming to ignore the question. Anyone else would wonder if Steve is dissing him, but the Mini Driver understands that Steve is weighing his options on how to answer the question, or whether to answer at all.
The waiter materializes again, this time bearing their orders. As he makes his way towards the table, Steve sits up and spreads his napkin across his lap.
The waiter places plates of steaming food in front of the men. Steve looks his over, making a show of it. Before the Mini Driver can complain about his answer, Steve rubs his hands to together and says, "Boy! This looks great! Let's eat!"
"Well," Steve says at last, apparently opting to answer, "you know what they say about making an assumption..."
is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He's been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.
You can send your comments directly to me, or you can also post your comments below.
Most Recent Columns From Just A Thought
- iPod Etiquette - February 2nd
- Conversations with Steve: MacBook Pro? - January 24th
- Good Help Is...Well... - January 3rd
The Just A Thought Archives
Observer Comments
Tue Jan 24, 2006 3:44 pm Subject: Dear gentle guest
You really have to learn your place here at TMO. Guests can not and should not call Vern's Fan Fiction crap. It's just bad manners! Leave the serious comments to the regestered members, like myself. Vern, your steve stories SUCK...but I do respect your right to drivel on about what ever you like on YOUR site. SO...carry on.
Personally, I enjoy this series from Vern, and I think it's far easier to drop in a nasty comment than to write something interesting and enjoyable.
Vern's not fantasizing about being pals with Jobs, he's envisioning what a conversation with him might be like. There's a time and place for a look at that sort of thing, whether or not one is able to discern the difference between the two.
Bryan - TMO
Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:43 am Subject: Great series... but...
Small detail. Steve's a vegan. Fish don't eat vegans, nor do vegans eat fish. And besides, didn't you see Finding Nemo? Fish are people too.
I think you should make The Mini Driver into a chocolate fiend. Like he pulls up at Jack in the Box to get his Large Oreo Cookie Shake. And give him a real set of wheels, like a Mustang GT or a Blazer Xtreme. And a dog. No, two dogs. Wait, I'm projecting, sorry.
Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:56 am Subject: Not everyone likes Harry Potter either ...
Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:45 am Subject: I Agree with "Guest"
I agree with the Guest who said he finds himself visiting TMO less and less. "Stories" like this are a reason why. Unending errors in reporting and grammar is another.
It's Vern's right to write these, and it's Bryan's right to publish them, but as the saying goes, "just because you can do something doesn't mean you should." Yes, the "Steve Stories" are light and supposed to be funny, but they truly are lousy. Frankly, I feel embarassment when I read them.
Bryan, I urge you to take a look at what's going on here. I like TMO - it's still my preferred source for Mac/iPod news - but some things really need to be tightened up.
Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:03 am Subject: So...
I take it that some of you don't like this piece.
Well, to those who take exception to this sort of article appearing here on TMO, I understand your point.
I debated a bit about whether to write another 'Conversations' piece, seems I should have decided not to.
That's cool. To you I say thanks for the input, I'll seriously look at your comments. Stuff like this may need a different venue.
Thanks for the comments.
To those who posted comments that are not constructive; you are free, of course, to express your opinion, as I am free to ignore them. I choose to ignore.
Vern Seward
Wed Jan 25, 2006 2:14 pm Subject: Oh, and one more thing...
Some of you say that it is because of articles like this that you've reduced your visits to TMO, or have stop coming altogether. You complain that articles like this is not real news and is a waste of your time.
I contend that a site has to have something that sets it apart from hundreds of thousands, if not millions of the other sites on the Net vying for your attention. Content can take every form imaginable. People blog, write short fiction, produce movies and animation all with their own unique twist. Not everyone 'gets' what the creator intends, but that's OK, because for every one that doesn't, there may be one other who does.
Pieces like this adds something that you won't find anywhere else. I write this stuff, and Bryan publishes it because it is different, and different is good because I also contend that a steady diet of the same stuff worded in different ways does nothing for you. Those of you who complain about these 'Conversations' pieces don't realize that, for a few minutes at least, you've thought about something beyond what you might if the piece was not published. Whatever you like or dislike about it, its purpose was served. You read it, hated or enjoyed it, then went back to the steady diet of the same thing written in different ways. For a few moments, there was a difference.
TMO publishes Apple news all day long, just like other Apple-centric sites, and I think we're good at it. My occasional distractions are just that; occasional, and distracting. If you don't 'get' it, well, don't read them. It's not like they are not well marked.
As Forrest Gump might say, "That's all I have to say about that."
Vern Seward
Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:32 pm Subject: It's Not The Fiction
QuoteVSeward wrote:
Some of you say that it is because of articles like this that you've reduced your visits to TMO, or have stop coming altogether. You complain that articles like this is not real news and is a waste of your time.
It's not a matter of something not being strictly news. I agree that a site needs something to set it apart. If I want strictly news, there are many options. MacMinute is certainly a more comprehensive Mac news site, for example.
When I said "stories like this," I meant poorly-written stories. I also mentioned poor editing, which is a bigger concern for me. Maybe I'm too picky - especially considering I'm not paying for this service - but I like a certain level of professionalism.
Fri Jan 27, 2006 9:01 am Subject: Steve is not eating meat...
QuoteBosco wrote:
Small detail. Steve's a vegan. Fish don't eat vegans, nor do vegans eat fish. And besides, didn't you see Finding Nemo? Fish are people too.
I think you should make The Mini Driver into a chocolate fiend. Like he pulls up at Jack in the Box to get his Large Oreo Cookie Shake. And give him a real set of wheels, like a Mustang GT or a Blazer Xtreme. And a dog. No, two dogs. Wait, I'm projecting, sorry.
In this story, I never mention what Steve is eating. Also, Steve will eat fish, I am told.
Vern Seward
Vern,
Cute, but it was kinda long on prose and not-quite-as-long on humor.
It feels like you're trying to channel Rodney's style and not quite getting it. There's a lot of things in there where I feel like you're trying to stuff hidden meaning, then I think again and they just seem to be random details.
Sat Jan 28, 2006 4:35 am Subject: Channel... ???
QuoteKrioni wrote:
Vern,
Cute, but it was kinda long on prose and not-quite-as-long on humor.
It feels like you're trying to channel Rodney's style and not quite getting it. There's a lot of things in there where I feel like you're trying to stuff hidden meaning, then I think again and they just seem to be random details.
Whoa! I really hope you didn't mean anything by your statement. Rodney was a good friend, but NOTHING I do is even remotely similar to what Rodney did.
This was just a romp; plain and simple. I don't bury hidden meanings in my work, in fact, I tend to over-explain.
Please don't compare me to Rodney; doing so does a great disservice to Rodney.
Vern Seward
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