Michael Grothaus

Staff Writer

Michael Grothaus is an American novelist and journalist living in London. He was first introduced to Apple computers in film school and went on to use them for years to create award-winning films. However after discovering many of Hollywood’s dirty little secrets while working for 20th Century Fox, he left and spent five years with Apple as a consultant. He’s since moved to London and earned his MA in Creative Writing. His first novel, Epiphany Jones, is a story about trafficking and America's addiction to celebrity.

In addition to being a staff writer at TUAW, Michael has written multiple books covering the Mac, iPod, and iPad including Taking Your iPad to the Max, Taking Your iPhoto '11 to the Max, and Taking Your iPod touch to the Max, 2nd edition. Michael has also written for the online men's magazine, Asylum. When not writing, Michael spends his time traveling Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia. You can reach him at www.michaelgrothaus.com and via Twitter.

Michael Grothaus's Latest Posts

Review: 'The Zen of Steve Jobs' graphic novel

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 29th 2011 11:00AM)

I just took ten minutes (hey, it's a comic book) and read Caleb Melby and Jess3's The Zen of Steve Jobs graphic novel and I think anyone who is a fan of comic books or Steve Jobs is going to like it. As I told you in September, the 60-page graphic novel is a re-imagining of Steve Jobs' life during ...

Postcard on the Run giveaway: discounts, free postcard packs and a personal card from Selena Gomez!

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 27th 2011 8:00PM)

Selena Gomez, Postcard on the Run, and TUAW have teamed up for an awesome promotion for all our readers, as well as the chance to win some pretty sweet prizes to boot. Postcard on the Run is an iOS and Android app that allows you to bring a physical touch to your digital memories by letting ...

Selena Gomez talks tech with TUAW

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 23rd 2011 11:00AM)

Before 2011, you probably only knew who Selena Gomez was if you had teenagers or younger children. But this year the young woman who plays Alex on Disney's Emmy Award-winning Wizards of Waverly Place has made her way into the mainstream spotlight. In the last twelve months she's starred in ...

Daily iPhone App: Grabatron

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 23rd 2011 9:00AM)

For those of you who enjoy Future Games of London's Hungry Shark series, you might want to check out its new game: Grabatron (US$0.99 for the iPhone version, $2.99 on the iPad). Designed as a homage to 1950's monster and alien invasion movies, you play as a UFO which uses a claw to abduct farm ...

Job listing points to future Berlin Apple Store

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 22nd 2011 9:00AM)

Last January we heard that Apple intents to build a new Apple Store in the Kurfürstendamm section of Berlin, several job listings have appeared on Apple's German jobs site. As noted by ifoAppleStore, the listings don't outright confirm the future Berlin location, but construction at an ...

Daily iPhone App: Postcard on the Run

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 21st 2011 9:00AM)

I've traveled to over 30 countries since 2009, and today I wish I had brought Postcard on the Run with me. I've been using the app for the last few weeks and have become infinitely fond of it. Postcard on the Run lets you take a picture on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and turn it into a ...

App Store hypothetical market cap beats RIM's value

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 20th 2011 2:30PM)

Research in Motion, maker of the once-ubiquitous BlackBerry, hasn't been doing so well this year. As each month goes buy, its smartphone continues to lose market share to the likes of Apple's iPhone and Android-powered phones. Just last week, RIM's stock sank after dismal quarterly earnings and ...

When it comes to launching your app, Sunday is tops

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 20th 2011 11:00AM)

If you're a developer, your app is more likely to be successful if you launch it on a Sunday. That's according to a 17-week analysis by mobile analytics firm Mobilewalla. The company looked at the apps released on a daily basis in Apple's App Store and Android's Market from May 16 to September ...

Skype offers free Wi-Fi at select US airports this holiday

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 20th 2011 10:00AM)

Skype is getting into the holiday spirit this year by giving anyone with a Mac, PC, or an iOS device free Wi-Fi at any one of 50 US airports. To take advantage of the deal, check out Skype's handy map of participating airports. When you're in one of them, launch Skype on your Mac or PC or the ...

BBC's iPlayer racks up 500k users, BBC shows how they made the app

by Michael Grothaus (Dec 20th 2011 9:00AM)

The BBC's wildly popular iPlayer app was updated last week to include support for the iPhone and iPod touch plus the ability to stream TV over 3G. As a result of all the new features, iPlayer for iOS has been downloaded over 1.1 million times in just the last week alone. What's more interesting ...