512 Pixels

This time around in “Writers I Read”, I spoke with Federico Viticci, the founder of MacStories.net. MacStories has quickly become a must-read for Mac nerds. Federico and his team of writers are hard at work every day publishing in-depth reviews, great analysis and timely news stories. I don’t think they ever sleep over there. Stephen: Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed. As you’ve probably seen, I like to keep these things informal and fun. I’ve been reading MacStories for several months now, and have enjoyed it greatly. What got you so interested in the Apple universe? Federico: Well, it really all started when I got my first Mac. I was a Windows PC user, always having to deal with slow and, design-wise, ugly machines that I was getting tired of. The operating system wasn’t cutting it for me anymore, so a few months before the release of Windows Vista I switched to OS X. The computer was beautiful, the transition to Leopard painless.

Since then, my interest in Apple news and reviews of apps I like has been growing so much writing for MacStories has become more than a simple job. In fact, it feels like a natural extension of a hobby rather than a series of articles and tasks. I think this is what keeps me going in the end.

Also, the original iPhone I imported from the U.S. in 2007 greatly increased my interest in Apple, technology news and, overall, mobile software.

Stephen: So you’re relatively new to the Apple scene. If my math is right, then you started MacStories not that long after switching. Is my timeline about right? Federico: That’s correct. I switched to the Mac almost three years ago and have not looked back since. I guess the iPod Classic I got in 2006 for a trip to Benicassim, Spain with my friends also helped getting my mind ready for the transition.

That iPod still rocks, by the way, although I got a larger Classic last year.

Stephen: It sounds you have a real “fork in the road” type moment. What were you doing before MacStories? Is the site your full-time job now? Federico: Things are going very well for the site and I couldn’t be happier about the team we’re building. Since I started MacStories in April 2009 it’s always been my full-time job, even when it was paying off much and, actually, was already an expense to add to the list. However, I couldn’t see myself doing anything but this, so I guess yes – it’s a full-time job and I hope it’ll stay this way for years to come.

Before MS? I used to sell stuff on eBay for a living. True story. I worked in a “professional eBay Store” (those places where people go and ask to sell their items on eBay, because they don’t have time to waste / cannot use a web browser / don’t know what PayPal is) for roughly 10 months until I was fired. I waited a few months, then started MacStories. Before the eBay “experience”, I pretended to be a Philosophy student at the La Sapienza University in Rome, but I dropped out after 3 months. That was 2007.

Stephen: That’s crazy. How did you end up writing for a living? Did you do a lot of writing in school, or was it something you just fell into? Federico: I think I just fell into it, by accident. Like I said I ended up jobless all of a sudden, and I was really into the MacBook Pro I had bought a few months before.

Back in high school I wasn’t really much of a writer (we didn’t have a school newspaper or online magazine students could write for), but I did enjoy laying down a good essay every once in a while if the subject was interesting enough. I knew, however, that I wanted to do something with technology someday – namely, when I was a kid I had this dream of becoming the editor for a videogame magazine, so I could attend E3, get free games and write about them for a living. Maybe when I was around 12 I even tried to write some fake reviews for Nintendo 64 games, though I can’t remember well now.

So, yeah, I think I’ve always had this thing for technology in general, but never considered myself a writer. I still don’t consider myself a writer, but I do enjoy writing about Apple (and sometimes, mobile games) for a living now.

Stephen: I’ve spoken with several full-time writers about their days, but never with one overseas. What’s a normal workday look like for you, being based in Italy? Federico: It’s crazy. It’s true I’m based in Italy, but being MacStories a US-centric website I had to adjust my daily schedule to a different timezone, namely the EST (New York City) one. I simply couldn’t stay on top with news and write articles by forcing myself to follow “a regular life” in Italy, so while this was hard to accept for my family and friends at first, now they understand there’s a reason why I stay up late at night and wake up around noon every day. After all, it’s like I’m waking up at 6 AM – only in the wrong country.

It’s different, but I deeply enjoy it. There’s a strange beauty in breaking news at 5:30 AM with the sun rising outside your room’s window, but there’s also no denying this is still causing some problems with activities like, say, going out for dinner with friends or vacations. Like I said, everything would be perfectly normal if I just happened to live in another timezone. I don’t know if other European-based writers do this, too.

Stephen: That is pretty hardcore. From what I can tell, you are the only one dedicated to such a schedule. Where do you see this taking you in the future? (Besides maybe the hospital…) Federico: Well, I see myself moving to the States to re-adjust my schedule to a more natural one, and finally get to meet the people and developers I’m writing about in real life. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, but couldn’t make it to WWDC this year. I’m definitely going next year though, and I hope that will be the start of a new life for me, as well as the business behind the site.

Stephen: Dude, that is intense. I assume you see this being your gig for the foreseeable future. Where do you see the site going in the future? Federico: I see the site growing both in terms of quality of content, audience, and the range of topics we try to cover every day. What I’d like to remark is, we love to report news and analyze each rumors that comes out, but we haven’t forgotten our “indie” roots. We love talking about apps from small, indie developers that try to make a living out of developing great software for the Mac and iOS. We may be pretty good at breaking news and getting our hands on some exclusive info every once in a while (and people seem to like it) but, personally, I still love being the indie guy that covers the relatively “small” stuff.

So to answer your question, yes, I see this growing a lot throughout the next years, but with our own principles.

Stephen: That’s awesome. I know I — and many other Mac nerds — look forward to seeing where your site goes in the future. Thanks so much; go get back to work!

See, I told you we have a problem.

Observation

This weekend, my wife and I enjoyed a weekend away in Franklin, TN. While out to eat for Sunday brunch, I noticed something that really got under my skin.

At the restaurant, there were — as you could imagine — several tables with large, multigenerational families enjoying brunch after church. At many of these tables, the kids weren’t talking with their parents, aunts and uncles and grandparents, however.

They were glued to iPod touches.

Some of the older adults seemed uncomfortable about this, but the kids’ parents seemed just fine with their children wearing earbuds, munching on bread, not talking with their elders.

After complaining about this to my wife, I noticed that the groups of people waiting to be seated where doing the same thing — sharing a moment, in silence, tapping away on their phones.

Get Off my Lawn

Now, I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to the second situation. Real-life conversation isn’t always for me, and as a nerd, I find solace in the soft glow of my phone’s screen.

That said, my wife and I don’t let our almost-three-year-old have any alone time with our iPod touch or my iPhone. While he does watch some movies, he doesn’t have unlimited access to media like some kids have.

I’m not sure why this is bothering me so much as of late. Perhaps it is that my kids are getting a little older, or that I am. Maybe it is that I’m starting to see that I need to connect to people, and use technology to keep from doing it a good bit of the time.

But are the people I know on Twitter more important to me than whomever I am eating lunch with? Shouldn’t kids have to learn that sometimes life involves waiting without Angry Birds?

The Answer

I don’t have an answer to any of this. Hell, I’m not even sure I’ve described my frustration with our society’s love affair with social media and other technologies that can rob of us of actual relationships.¹

I think parents need to have the stones to take devices away from their kids when the time calls for it. I think I need to have the stones to put my iPhone in my pocket and pay attention to people more.

But that’s way less fun than killing green pigs, isn’t it?

You can’t make this stuff up.

MG Siegler, on Google:

While the company is still largely beloved by the public, sentiment seems to have turned against them amongst their peers, and even amongst many of the startups around Silicon Valley. While these tensions have been building for months — and even years, in some cases — we’re seeing this on display more clearly than ever now thanks to the patent issue(s).

But why? Why is Google now a villain to many in the industry? I don’t believe it’s because they’re evil, I believe it simply relates to the Plainview quote. Increasingly, Google is trying to do everything. And they have the arrogance to think that they can. And it’s pissing people off.

“Microsoft and Apple have always been at each other’s throats, so when they get into bed together you have to start wondering what’s going on,” Google Chief Legal Officer, David Drummond, wrote this week when accusing those two companies of trying to destroy Android. And he’s right. After decade of being bitter rivals, Apple and Microsoft now seem to have aligned interests. But you don’t have to wonder what’s going on, it’s very apparent: they both hate Google.

The relationship between these three companies will shape the course of the industry for years to come.

Federico Viticci, in his review of the new 13-inch MacBook Air:

The truth is, if you follow tech rumors you’re never going to buy anything. Sure, you might get a new gadget or computer every once in a while, but then you keep it for years and even after you realize you need something better because your work or computing life in general could actually deeply benefit from it, your judgement gets obfuscated by the rumors and by the next great thing that’s perennially coming. For many people, potentially referring to themselves as “geeks”, nothing is new anymore. It’s just a headline, an unboxing, and some benchmarks to compare to last year’s headline. Rinse and repeat.

This is a great collection of wallpapers by my buddy Chris Herbert.

Alex Heath at Cult of Mac:

Earlier today, we told you that Apple was looking to discontinue the Magic Mouse in favor for the Magic Trackpad. This report was based off an inside source confirming that Apple was phasing out the Magic Mouse’s part number from its inventory.

Our source in Apple inventory has followed up with us, and it appears that Apple has instead discontinued the Magic Mouse’s old part number in favor for a new one. This move may indicate an update to the Magic Mouse, with the most logical prediction being better integration with advanced gestures in OS X Lion.

Got to love this in-depth reporting on things that matter. Oh, wait…

Sending your kids to a “summer camp” put on by the second-wealthiest corporation in the world is just so damn creepy. I mean, it is inside a retail store.

Saying “Apple doesn’t care about the enterprise” isn’t quite as true as it used to be, it seems.

The Javascript image might be my favorite.

Shawn Blanc:

Everyone I know who has owned a 12-inch PowerBook G4 looks back with fondness about that being the best Mac they have ever owned. It was a perfect blend of power and portability, and it invoked an affinity from its owners that few Macs in history have.

A few years from now, I believe we’ll look back and say the 12-inch PowerBook was the best laptop we ever owned until our MacBook Airs. The MacBook Air is the new 12-inch PowerBook — the new blend of power and portability that also invokes a fondness that few Macs in the lineup can.