Steve Jobs has perhaps the most cult appeal than anyone in the 21st Century, definitely biggest when it comes to technology and computers. There are hordes of Apple users who will swear by Apple products and put them on the pedestal. Usability and design of Apple products have impressed many over the decades, and so have its proprietary appeal.
In Steve Jobs, Water Isaacson paints a picture of this man. A man who was full of conflicting behaviors and single minded commitment to make things that worked the way he thought should work. Well and many more, apparently. After all, you cannot really blame him to use a Drop-Down-Menu that actually drops down than goes up.
Steve Jobs
Author: Walter Isaacson
Paperback: 656 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (September 15, 2015)
ISBN: 1501127624, 978-1501127625
As there are many fans, there are also many critics. Many of them talk about his personality and behavior. Difficult to please, off handed, demanding, and rude are some of the most common adjectives used to describe his personal and professional conduct. Perhaps it were these traits – of not caring – that kept him focused on the task at hand. But for a person who had no empathy, Steve Jobs was a very emotional person.
One of the major successes of Steve Jobs was to build Apple products and users as an exclusive club. The high price point in the name of usability and design helped him create a select group of people who increasingly revered the products and the leader.
In this bigraphy of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson, at times, appears positively biased toward Steve Jobs. Though he highlights all his shortcomings as a person. The engaging narrative makes this massive biography readable as the reader explores the different facets of this enigmatic personality. The biography is not about Apple, and if you are interested only in a history of Apple or expect to gain some technical insights, this is not a read for you. That doesn’t mean that he bio does not have any takeaways.
Genius or not, Steve Jobs was an astute businessman. He not only built products that were good, but also found ways to make them a status symbol. Something everyone coveted but a few could afford. Eccentric to a fault and bullheaded, Steve Jobs even played with his life when he delayed his cancer treatment. Steve Jobs is a fascinating read if you want to know more about the person behind the success. What motivated and what ticked him off. What was his work ethic and how worked with other people.