Bob LeVitus[a] (born April 4, 1955 in Chicago, and also known asDr. Macintosh[1]) is an American author of more than 75computer-related books, particularly on theApple Macintosh,iPhone, andiPad for the book series...For Dummies. He worked as acolumnist for theHouston Chronicle since 1996 and forThe Mac Observer since 2001, until his retirement from both outlets in 2022. In 2001,Macworld magazine described him as "a well-known columnist and speaker in the Mac world".[2]
In 1984, LeVitus ran amarket research firm. Convinced that theoriginal Macintosh, released that same year, could "revolutionize" his business, he proposed buying one. After his partners refused, he sold his shares in the company and left to start his own short-lived market research firm. After a sales call to Macintosh trade magazineMACazine, he closed his firm and joined the latter in 1986 as an executive editor. The magazine was owned by publisher Hart Graphics, whose chairman, Bill Hart, saw LeVitus as a "perfect match" due to his industry connections and "chutzpah". The magazine closed in 1988 after a sale toMacUser,[1] where LeVitus then served as a columnist untilMacUser's 1998 closure.[3] According toAustin American-Statesman's Lori Hawkins, by then, LeVitus's "no-hold-barred, take-no-prisoners" software reviews had earned him a reputation as a "Macintosh cult icon".[1]
LeVitus adopted the "Dr. Macintosh" nickname in his firstAddison-Wesley book,Dr. Macintosh: Tips, Techniques and Advice on Mastering the Macintosh (1989, reedited 1991), which sold 100,000 copies. By 1995, nine of his books had hit best-sellers list.[1]
In May 1995, he was hired as chief evangelist forPower Computing, aMacintosh clone seller.[1]
In 2005, whenJohn Wiley & Sons publishediCon, Apple stopped selling all Wiley books in itsApple Stores, including LeVitus'sMacs for Dummies books.[4][5]
In 2009, LeVitus, and reportedly all other columnists, were fired fromMacCentral after a downsizing.[6]
LeVitus appeared at a number of Mac-focused meetups and events, including MacLive,[7] MacFest,[8] MacCORE,[9] MacMania,[10][11] and was a regular at theMacworld/iWorld trade show.[12][13][14][15]
LeVitus retired from theHouston Chronicle andMacObserver in 2022.[16][17]
LeVitus is married with two children.[1][18]
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