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Mon, Dec 01, 2008 - 01:13 PM EST — AAPL: 89.80 (-2.87, -3.1%) | NASDAQ: 1440.63 (-94.94, -6.18%)

Steve Jobs, the rat in Ratatouille (plus: defending Apple’s MacBook Air)

Monday, February 04, 2008 - 03:20 PM EST

"Apple shipped a few MacBook Air units to its retail stores Friday, leaving the scant supply to mainly serve as in-store demo units. While our SSD model remains on order pending shipment, we managed to snag the one of the few available HDD-based units from one of the company's San Francisco outlets and have set to work on an in-depth review of its ins and outs," Prince McLean writes for AppleInsider.

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position of over those who offer up their work to ourselves and our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic actually risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends."

McLean writes, "Those words of Anton Ego, voiced by Peter O'Toole in Pixar's Ratatouille, well describe the task in reviewing the new MacBook Air. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Steve Jobs had a hand in producing both the movie and the new laptop. While the heavy lifting was done by writers at Pixar and engineers at Apple, both push their audience and the industry to think differently."

McLean writes, "Just prior to unveiling the MacBook Pro onstage at Macworld Expo, Jobs coyly highlighted Ratatouille as one of his favorite movies. That's because the rat in Ratatouille secretly was Jobs: the unlikely source of something new who has been delighting patrons and investors alike despite his real identity as an opinionated, reality distorting visionary who talks about his business in terms of art and design and craftsmanship that challenges the market's status quo rather than simply being another straight-laced bean counter promising to deliver more of the same old thing wrapped up in vapor and grandiose buzzwords."

Full article - recommended - here.

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Feb 04, 08 - 03:38 pm Comment from: Hollywood North

Right on!!!!

Feb 04, 08 - 03:52 pm Comment from: Ampar

"The new needs friends."
But especially friends with a credit card and a job.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:55 pm Comment from: Mac+

One thing for sure, he couldn't be the "ouille" in Ratatouille. Otherwise he would have been assimilated to "Jaquouille la Fripouille" a character of french movie "les visiteurs"... the guy is stupidily funny!!!!

Feb 04, 08 - 03:56 pm Comment from: bon

And the entrenched caste (Disney, Microsoft, RIAA, MPAA, et al) are represented by the cheaply branded, mass-produced, TV dinners in the movie.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:59 pm Comment from: Mac+

Also, "Couilles" is the french equivalent of the spanish word "Cojones"... I let you find the english equivalent.

Feb 04, 08 - 04:00 pm Comment from: iamdj

Whatever. And Microsoft was the short, angry, head chef?

Feb 04, 08 - 04:00 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

Prince McLean = Daniel Eran

Feb 04, 08 - 04:02 pm Comment from: Polished Stones

Apple posted them removed information about the MacBook Air.

1: That if it overheats, one core will be shut down.

2: More heat will throttle the remaining core until it nearly stops dead.

MD Word "hot". how ironic

Feb 04, 08 - 04:07 pm Comment from: Shogun

ChrissyOne = The Queen of Sherpa?
__________= The Opposable Thumb of Fotographía?
__________= Most Likely to Put the Paws Back into Positivism?

Tell us, Chrissy? Who are you really?

(MW: Nooooo, You're not my "father"!)

Feb 04, 08 - 04:11 pm Comment from: Shogun

@Polished Stones
Really takes balls to stretch the truth like that, Dude. Every computer in the world will throttle down if it gets too hot. But we're talking using it
in full sun
whilst lying on the sand
in Cairo
in August
at 1:30 in the afternoon
to play WoW
while charging your battery

So chill. You're precious Air will be fine. (You know you want one.)

Feb 04, 08 - 04:19 pm Comment from: Doc4i

And I suppose Bill Gates is the mouse in Mousaka?

Feb 04, 08 - 04:20 pm Comment from: Not Fair Comparison

Steve has a smaller market share than his alter ego. People who see themselves as 'visionary' often delude themselves - especially when the willing, mindless media confirms the label.

Feb 04, 08 - 06:08 pm Comment from: R2

Ratatouille was a good movie. Aside from Cars, Pixar never disappoints.

Feb 04, 08 - 06:25 pm Comment from: Macaday

Took you a while Chrissy - but you got there...

I loved the idea of Jobs being the rat in Ratatwil.

And isn't 2008 the Chinese year of the rat?!

Looks like it'll be big one...

Feb 04, 08 - 06:26 pm Comment from: Macaday

Oh, and in Cars, the three main characters were IBM, Microsoft and Apple too... you can figure out who was who..

Feb 04, 08 - 07:57 pm Comment from: KenC

C1 is correct, if you go to RoughlyDrafted, Daniel Eran Dilger will link to his new article at AppleInsider, which is of course written by Prince Mclean, Dilger's pen name. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Feb 04, 08 - 10:47 pm Comment from: MacSheikh

@ ChrissyOne / KenC

Prince McLean = Daniel Eran

Agreed. Any other rocket scientists think so too?

Feb 05, 08 - 02:18 am Comment from: little tiny nitch guy

@R2

Dude, Cars rocked. You need to go back and watch it again. And pay attention this time.

MW=think, as in think before you post..

Feb 05, 08 - 06:54 am Comment from: onions, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers,

Against Toy story, A Bug's life, Monsters Inc and the The Incredibles - Cars was prosaic and Ratatouille was lame as ...

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Mon, Dec 01, 2008 - 01:13 PM EST — AAPL: 89.80 (-2.87, -3.1%) | NASDAQ: 1440.63 (-94.94, -6.18%)

Steve Jobs, the rat in Ratatouille (plus: defending Apple’s MacBook Air)

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