Rumor: Fake Steve = Andy Ihnatko?
10:45 pm, July 15th, 2007, Pete Mortensen
It’s late July. Do you know who Fake Steve is yet? According to buzz on the web today, a new top candidate has emerged as the fake iCEO, and this one’s actually plausible.
Some clever dudes at Sitening created a tracker link to a fairly lame iPhone haiku, trusting that Fake Steve would take the bait. He did, and they traced it to a Boston IP address. That points to Andy Ihnatko so far as the Sitening guys are concerned (and most of the rest of the commenters). It’s also consistent with previous accusations, including one from Fake Steve Ballmer.
What’s my take? Well, it makes sense, if nothing else. I can’t think of many people I would call “Macintosh Humorists,” but Andy is one of them. His old MacWorld columns were a hoot, and I learned many key phrases from him, including “web that smut!”
On the other hand, I don’t actually ever want to know who Fake Steve is – his anonymity makes him powerful, and even leaves open the possibility it’s actually Real Steve (it’s the perfect cover!). Unfortunately, we probably will know, and soon, and the fun will be gone.
This all makes me think of Mac the Knife, the weekly rumor columnist for MacWeek back in the day. No one ever copped to penning the column, which was the best in the business at its time. There’s a prevailing rumor that former editor Matthew Rothenberg was MtK, but it’s never really been proven. And that’s powerful. We’re in a different era now, but it makes me nostalgic for a time when the silent crusader could remain silent.
But Andy, if it’s you? You’ve been doing a great job. Keep up the good work – or get John Mackey to do it for you.
Via Apple 2.0.
Posted by Pete Mortensen in Fake Steve, Rumors | Comment on this article
I agree, it would be a lot more fun to read FSJ if we didn’t know who he was. I hope this rumor proves to be false. Or hey, maybe if he is caught now, he can pass the FSJ title to another anonymous writer, to keep things interesting and not limit what can be written on the blog.
ohcyt, on July 16th, 2007 at 12:09 am
Andy Ihnatko is not FSJ, although it will be nice for Andy to be associated with him, given FSJ’s current high profile.
Andy is hilarious, but his style is very, very different. Too different.
JoeP, on July 16th, 2007 at 1:13 am
No, no ,no, FSJ is really Jack Miller from As the Apple Turns. Being FSJ explains the long absence from his website. He also lives in the Boston area and the writing style are similar.
my $0.02
Viktor, on July 16th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Viktor- My theory is that Jack Miller has resurfaced as the Macalope. The style and references to animals revealing things to him is similar to ATAT. So is the Macalope’s publishing schedule.
Bob, on July 18th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
I was thinking of Mac the Knife too! I loved that whacky column. In fact, weren’t there rumors that Andy was Mac the Knife?
T. Kevin, on July 24th, 2007 at 11:16 am