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One of USA Today's Best Business Books of 2008-now updated with a new chapter
It's hard to believe that one man revolutionized computers in the 1970s and '80s (with the Apple II and the Mac), animated movies in the 1990s (with Pixar), and digital music in the 2000s (with the iPod and iTunes). No wonder some people worship Steve Jobs like a god. On the other hand, stories of his epic tantrums and general bad behavior are legendary.
Inside Steve's Brain cuts through the cult of personality that surrounds Jobs to unearth the secrets to his unbelievable results. So what's really inside Steve's brain? According to Leander Kahney, who has covered Jobs since the early 1990s, it's a fascinating bundle of contradictions.
This expanded edition includes a new chapter on Jobs's very public health crisis and the debate about Apple's future.
Introduction 1
1 Focus: How Saying "No" Saved Apple 15
2 Despotism: Apple's One-Man Focus Group 45
3 Perfectionism: Product Design and the Pursuit of Excellence 68
4 Elitism: Hire Only A Players, Fire the Bozos 107
5 Passion: Putting a Ding in the Universe 150
6 Inventive Spirit: Where Does the Innovation Come From? 174
7 Case Study: How It All Came Together with the iPod 221
8 Total Control: The Whole Widget 240
Acknowledgments 269
Notes 271
Index 285
Anonymous
Posted May 5, 2008
If you're interesting in knowing more about how Steve Jobs has been managing Apple or Pixar, this book is for you! This book is NOT about Steve's crazy, nasty habits like always parking in handicapped spaces (although the book does mention some of his excesses). As a matter of fact, the author is a bit biased about Apple, but that doesn't impact on the reading (it's not like he tries to hide Steve's flaws either). This book is about how has Steve's personality had an impact on Apple's culture. How did he manage to orchestrate Apple's turnaround when he came back in 1997. How does he unleash innovation at Apple. As an added bonus the book contains a lot of tidbits about Apple / Pixar / NeXT history. A great read!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 24, 2008
this is an amazing book. I don't usually write reviews but i loved this book so much that i had to. Im a high school student and needed a book for a report. Steve Jobs is my hero so i picked this book. His business styles are amazing. He truly is a man who knows how to get things done and to his standards. I recomend this book to anyone. whether in the business world or not. i personally love Mac's so learning a little bit about what goes on inside the company was also a plus. BUY THIS BOOK!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 14, 2011
Hes dead now
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Posted August 17, 2011
It was ok
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 27, 2010
This is a gushy tour through Jobs' life and history that repeats a number of stories but never strays far from the vapid side of reporting. Every negative about Jobs is carefully balanced against a stronger positive. I was interested to read about the Apple product development methods but while the author seems to have intereviewed some Apple engineers we just get the headlines that everyone already knows - they show Steve lots of prototype and the ultimate success of Apple is due to Steve's passion, intimidation and fanatical devotion to simple user interface. Do you need to pay money to hear that again? The best we can say here is that it is clearly written, and some of the stories are mildly entertaining. Overall: a series of ninth-grade level magazine articles, masquerading as a book, with no real purpose in life except to cash in on the Jobs hype machine.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 27, 2009
I would like to give the book 5 stars because the content is so good. But Kahney really needed a book editor because Inside Steve's Brain reads like a series of magazine articles. Kahney repeats words, phrases and concepts from previous chapters (articles) -- drove me nuts! Penguin Group US should know better! So, I docked it two stars.
That said, the content of the book is a fascinating look of the development of a business model that is highly dependent on the brilliant, complex personality of Steve Jobs. I was left wondering about Apple's $64K question: Is innovation and integration "hard wired" sufficiently into Apple, Inc. to continue it's wild success without Jobs? This book leads me to think maybe so. Then again... The content also made me wonder whether Barnes & Noble has sufficient control over the integration, delivery and user experience of their ebooks site and Nook -- I don't think so.
Anonymous
Posted April 20, 2009
The book is at least good entertainment. It is a nice summary of Jobs' behavior and phylosophy. It would be more compelling if the facts described were confirmed by Jobs himself or if he would provide his own insights on his thoughts and strategies.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 22, 2008
I have a Mac, my second one. From the explicit description in the book, I'm a bozo for using Apple products, cleverly devised by a perfectionist elitist and his crew. Juxtaposing Apple with Microsoft to the exclusion of Linux is misleading. Read 'The Cathedral and the Bazaar' to see that Open Source gives better experience without the insanity of Jobs & Co. The Mac, iPod, etc., are going to be donated to a charity I've had enough of worshiping elitism.
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Posted November 25, 2010
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Posted May 14, 2011
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Posted November 21, 2009
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Posted January 19, 2010
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Posted July 22, 2011
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Posted January 28, 2011
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Posted November 27, 2009
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Posted March 8, 2010
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Posted January 4, 2010
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Posted January 24, 2011
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Overview
One of USA Today's Best Business Books of 2008-now updated with a new chapter
It's hard to believe that one man revolutionized computers in the 1970s and '80s (with the Apple II and the Mac), animated movies in the 1990s (with Pixar), and digital music in the 2000s (with the iPod and iTunes). No wonder some people worship Steve Jobs like a god. On the other hand, stories of his epic tantrums and general bad behavior are legendary.
Inside Steve's Brain cuts through the cult of personality that surrounds Jobs to unearth the secrets to his unbelievable results. So what's really inside ...