This new book about the iPod by a favorite tech writer, Steven Levy, is a great read. I've previously read and adored Steven's Hackers in 1984. Much later, I liked his book about Macintosh, Insanely Great. I regularly take pleasure in reading Levy's The Technologist column in Newsweek.
The new book is entitled The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Culture, Commerce and Coolness. I love it. It is packed with stories and insider information that only a long-time, highly-respected technology journalist could provide. Steven knows his subject well and was able to dig up all sorts of fresh and interesting stories about the iPod.
We get to learn exactly how and by whom the iPod was created. Hint, it wasn't just Jonathan Ive. He was a key player for sure, but lots of other talented people were involved before Jony came in to make the iPod the extraordinary product it was on launch day in 2001. We hear from key players in their own words.
That's only one chapter that I especially enjoyed, but there are many more interesting subjects like the Pod People phenomenon which Levy links to its origins in portable cocooning with the walkman. I found Levy's in depth discussion of cool really well done. You've heard little smatterings about cool, and the iPod phenomenon over and over in the press. But, here you get taken deeper into these subjects by a really good writer. For me, this is a page-turner. Honestly. I bought the book last night and I'm 121 pages into it's 284 pages already.
If you are a Mac and iPod fan, make sure to check out this book. Apple is selling the book for $25.99 even though the list price is $25. I got it at Borders for $20 with my Rewards card. I would normally wait and buy at Amazon where it is selling for $16.50 but I started reading in the store and couldn't put it down.
A nice warm up for this book might be Steven Levy's interview with Steve Jobs at Newsweek Online. If you are anything like me, you'll want to read it.
I should warn you that my iPod technolust was markedly increased by reading this book. The just released [project] red 8 gig Nano and the 80 gig iPod 5G are both tugging at me right now. It's a good thing I already have a wonderful 30 gig black iPod 5G in an amazing red and black Vaja leather case already. That gorgeous, expensive leather is the one thing standing between me and those new iPods. I think I will fall over the edge if Apple releases a [red] 5G iPod though (and there's a rumor...).
If you've had a love affair with Mac and the iPod, you will find all the reasons why in this book. I've owned all 5 generations of the iPod. I'm a heavy-user, you could say. This book helped me understand my experience - my passionate fascination - better than any other iPod book to date.