A fan of the Fake Steve Blog and in need of some pre-holiday merriment, I made use of a fake $100 fake iPhone rebate to pick up Options: The Secret Life of (Fake) Steve Jobs.
And merry it did make. Especially early on, I collapsed in laughter nearly every page. Fake Steve (I refuse to acknowledge his “outed” real-world identity so as not to diminish my childlike sense of wonder) captures a unique and marvelous voice for the tech world’s most beloved fictional CEO, and Dear Leader’s insights come through as the best of satire - stingingly funny and uproariously insightful at the same time.
The thin frame upon which the book hangs is the impending release of Fake Steve’s fourth crowning achievement, the delight of his karmic soul, iPhone, juxtaposed against a financial scandal, the backdating of stock options to which Fake Steve is part annoyed, part oblivious. Some may find the frame, indeed, too thin, but this is not a plot-driven work. It’s pure caricature. (And in that light, a special shot-out is needed for Fake Steve’s one almost-friend, Fake Larry Ellison of Fake Oracle, a perfectly debauched, hilarious sidekick).
In his blog, Fake Steve has tackled issues like the dying business model and hypocrisy of the music industry (which, for example, charges consumers for ringtones as derivative work while at the same time refusing to pay the artists for the very same reason), and much of that carries over into the book. Though it does break character at times, the depth of insight is well worth it. (Indeed, having read the Fake Steve blog, it was interesting to see some of the posts turn up here in book form, either having been a “beta” in the former, or an intentional projection for the latter).
Some reviews have criticized the ending. Does Fake Steve, through the conflict of iPhone and iOptions, come to any conclusion? Of a sort, and not one I would have predicted.
Namaste-rful.
