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Mac: The platform fit for a king
Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, or just King Abdullah for short, is among the expanding league of world leaders who choose to 'think different' and use Apple products. In a photo provided to us by TUAW tipster Mohammed Al-Muhaidib, King Abdullah is seated on the right, in front of a 30-inch Cinema Display. His highness was monitoring the procession of the hajj in Mecca, the holy annual pilgrimage. Michael Rose and I joked before last night's talkcast that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who sits on Apple's board of directors, sure is busy selling Macs to all these leaders at home and abroad, including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and U.S. Vice President-Elect Joe Biden. Thanks, Mohammed!
Obama team chose Apple on election night
In what could be a sign of things to come, an unnamed staffer Biden's son Hunter (thanks commenters) was pictured on Election Night showing Vice President-Elect Joe Biden something on a MacBook Air. Biden also appears to be holding an iPhone 3G with a sticker on the back. Biden was apparently observing something on screen, while President-Elect Barack Obama celebrated in the background with another staffer. The MacBook Air appeared to be connected to a USB 3G network adapter. The Obama administration could become the most technologically-savvy presidency so far. The President-Elect's transition team has already put up change.gov, a website developed by Blue State Digital, the same firm that created Obama's campaign website. Obama's administration promises to be the first to include a Chief Technology Officer, and he supports net neutrality. Obama has been photographed during his campaign using an iPhone. A Newsweek article in Feburary noted that Michelle Obama bought then-Senator Obama and their children each a MacBook, so they could stay in touch during the long campaign. Yes, we can add the team to the growing list of world leaders using Apple products. Thanks, Brian! Editor's Note: Political discourse can sometimes get heated, and that's understandable, but there are some boundaries. Multiple comments to this post have made threatening statements against the President-Elect. Any comments of this nature will be deleted and identifying information will be provided to the US Secret Service.
Russian President Medvedev pictured with MacBook Pro
The Kremlin has released photos of Russian President Dimitry Medvedev holding a meeting with his aides and what appears to be a new MacBook Pro. The president also recently addressed the nation in a video blog post, where his MacBook Pro was seen in a similar meeting. The logo had been removed from the video early on, but is visible around the 1:20 mark. Other videos on the Kremlin's website show Medvedev with a variety of computers. Medvedev has previously been photographed using an iPhone, though some speculated it was a black-market acquisition. At the time the photo was taken, the iPhone was not yet available for sale in Russia. This follows in the footsteps of other high-profile world leaders using Apple products, including former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt's switch to a Mac last month. Thanks, Andrei!
Sweden's Foreign Minister calls his new Mac 'a new world'
Former Swedish Prime Minister (and now Foreign Minister) Carl Bildt has, "after much reflection, examination and discussion" decided to switch to a Mac. Welcome to the family, Carl! May we recommend your next purchase: a snazzy IKEA desk to go with your Mac? According to the minister's website (in Swedish and English), he wonders why he waited so long to make the jump, and said "the new world is much definitely better than the old." How much of that is mangled by Google Translate I'll have to leave to the Swedish speakers among us. No word yet on whether Sweden's leading culinary celebrity uses a Mac. [Sorry, couldn't resist. -Ed.] Bildt is not the first world leader to use a Mac: Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore has a Mac connected to multiple displays (as well he should: he's on Apple's board of directors). HRH Queen Elizabeth has an iPod. Many political powerhouses have iPhones, including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who might have scored himself a black-market model. Thanks, Gesen!
Bill Clinton: iPhone User
You're standing in line when Bill Clinton, former US President, walks by with his Secret Service escort. Quick! What do you do? (1) Shake his hand. (2) Share a quick joke about Arkansas's night life. (3) Ask him to sign your iPhone. If you're B. Ioffe, the answer is 3. He writes that President Clinton shared that he is an iPhone owner; Steve Jobs fixed him up with an iPhone for his personal use. This of course demands the question: If ex-Veep Al Gore is on Apple's Board of Directors, why didn't he snag his old buddy an iPhone himself? Or, as Ioffe writes, at least a prerelease 3G version.
Flickr Find: Ron Paul, iPhone user
Ron Paul, one of the Republican candidates for the Office of the President of the United States of America, is gaining some steam. It wasn't so long ago that most people didn't even know who Ron Paul was, but now a few more people are cognizant of him. Why post this on TUAW? Because it would seem Mr. Paul is using an iPhone to talk to his supporters. Check out this picture and tell me if that doesn't look like a man who is happy with his iPhone.We all know the current US President is an iPod user, as is the Pope and the Queen of England. Have you seen any other noteworthy folks chatting away on iPhones? One imagines that Al Gore has an iPhone or two.Oh, and just because Ron Paul is a political figure doesn't mean the comments on this post should descend into partisan talk. Let's keep the focus on the technology, shall we?Thanks, John.
