Best Mac Magazine Bar None

If you're looking for a macintosh magazine and can't afford subscribing to Macworld, MacDesign, and MacAddict, get MacAddict. Not only has it been redesigned from the ground up, but they got rid of their insipidly stupid mascot Max in the review section. No longer are we faced with the blech, freakin' awesome, etc... of this tiresome cartoon character.

But more than that are its features, reviews (that everyone can understand), games sections, get info, and more. It's irreverant, fun, sometimes a little too juvenile, but you get the impression that the people who run this magazine LOVE using macs. I never got that impression from the other mac magazines (except maybe MacDesign) or from any PC magazine on the market. With that said, it also comes with a monthly CD (which I believe is about $1 extra) just brimming with demos, freeware, shareware, movie clips, and more. It's a great magazine and you won't be disappointed. You'll look forward to each and every issue and read it from cover to cover (too bad it's not twice a month!).

Some helpful bits amid the sass

The ranks of Macintosh magazines have always been thin. After the demise of MacUser (the best magazine) and MacWeek (the best trade), MacAddict came out of nowhere to fill some of that void.

As an alternative to MacWorld, the venerable option for Mac users, MacAddict brings some life to the party. Offering the content of MacWorld, but written like Maxim, the enthusiasm for the platform definitely comes through.

MacAddict is not unique in content. You get product reviews, how-to's, tips, interviews, and such. (Depending on your subscription, it may also include a helpful CD loaded with freeware, shareware, video clips, and other goodies - it's the CD that gives the mag its raison d'etre.) All things considered, it's your typical computer magazine. What sets it apart is its insider, wink-wink, Gen X attitude.

And that's where the strength and weakness of the magazine lies. How much you'll enjoy MacAddict depends how much you like the attitude.

Personally, I find it a bit grating and in-your-face simply for in-your-face's sake. MacWorld may be a better choice in this regard. MacAddict tends to be a bit thin page-wise, too. It's about half the length of comparable computer magazines. Part of that lies in the fact that the Mac universe isn't as loaded with as much debris as the PC's, but still, MacWorld has more content. And that content does have some bigger names writing it, too.

One area in which MacAddict does beat MacWorld is that it seems to be on a tighter publishing schedule - getting reviews of new products ahead of its stodgier cousin. But when you consider what is available in this regard on the Internet, this advantage doesn't seem so helpful.

If you are a Mac fanatic - and can afford it - get MacAddict with MacWorld. But if you are a normal user, I'd tip the scales toward MacWorld.

Cringeworthy

Where Macworld is bad, Addict is dreadful. It is dumbed down to the level of Teen Beat, and the "reviews" don't deserve the name. The extent to which it drools over Apple is embarassing, leaving no pretence of independence. Like its competitor, it exploits the crummy support that typifies the computer industry, so we get articles about the "secrets" of such and such product. A "secret" in the computer industry is a feature or defect that has not been properly documented by the manufacturer. This should be blasted, not applauded. But Addict is happy to exploit readers by selling them the information they should have gotten when they purchased the product. In Mac publishing, the best writers have deserted the magazines for the Internet.