Steve Jobs

As biographies go, this one was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, nearly every anecdote was something I'd read before, but there was still much in Jobs Next and Pixar years that was great to learn about.

This was an exhausting read and I didn't even read it, I listened to it on audiobook. The book was very well written and seemed to be very well researched. I loved Walter's way of writing about Jobs.

Jobs on the other hand had no redeeming qualities in my book. The people he lead do make nice products but there is no need to pummel people all the way to get that.

Good book which gives some insight into Steve Jobs life. The book really tries to be impartial but it is seems to me that at times the author is too fond of Steve Jobs. He does not paint a picture of a perfect Steve Jobs but some situations could have been judged differently by a more impartial author.
The author clearly put a lot of effort into the book and I feel like I almost know Steve Jobs after reading it. The author is of course clearly helped by the fact that Steve Jobs lived a very interesting life.

Although this book is quite thick, it's a quick read. My review isn't so much about the book or the style it's written in, etc. It's about what I learned from it.

Jobs' management style was not the best, but he did surround himself by the best people–A players–and didn't suffer fools as it were. He had no room for mediocrity. If someone failed at his job, he was fired. I admire that he was able to make decisions without shifting blame or asking a committee. He often took credit for other people's work, but that often happens in the workplace anyway.

Engaging with a number of insights into the man who revolutionalized computers, movies, music, etc. But despite that, he's a man flawed in many ways. I don't think I want him to be my boss...

As far as biographies go this book tops the list of what I have read. That list is still fairly short, but I really thought Isaacson did a wonderful job pulling the reader into the chaotic world of Steve Jobs and keeping their attention until the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in technology, the history of technology, Apple, great innovation and business, or just looking for a great read. Job's was not a nice person, but he was definitely one of the great innovators of our history.

Enjoy!

Vaya que tardé en leer este libro más de lo normal. La historia de la vida de este personaje icónico de nuestra era es narrada de forma minuciosa por Isaacson, sin embargo la narración llega a ser cansada y repetitiva en algunas partes.

Es buen libro y es apasionante la biografía que, como él mismo dijo en el anuncio de los genios: “puedes admirarlo o puedes odiarlo, pero nunca te será indiferente”.

This book didn't surprise me at all. I knew going into it that Steve Jobs wasn't a saint, but it was interesting to read his story. Great book.

As a user of Apple products and a follower of their fortunes, this was a must-read for me. I have listened to many pundits discussing the book, and no review was better than that of Ars Technica's John Siracusa on the 5by5 podcast, Hypercritical. He was rather scathing of the book in so much as it was written by the wrong guy. Isaacson is not a tech guy and is writing about something he does not really understand.

That said, I still had to read the book for myself and, although I didn't enjoy it a great deal, it was still worth reading.

Make of that what you will.

This guy was a walking paradox. Brilliant yet stupid (all fruit, all carrot diets? Cmoooon). Completely void of empathy but put user experience above all. Sensitive and cries at the drop of a hat but cold and cruel. I could go on and on but the one thing remains - this guy was our generation's Einstein or Ford.

This is a well written biography. When you read through the sometimes a bit American display of emotions this is really great. Will probably pick up one of the others Walter Isaacson wrote (Benjamin Franklin, or Einstein).

For a stinky hippy asshole, this gut did some good work.

This book is one of the best on Steve Jobs for two reasons: 1. It has all the insider information into how Jobs was thinking about projects and how he attacked issues. 2. It pulled no punches when showing him in a negative light. In the end, the book is very open about his life, the right and wrong things he's done, and an honest introspective into one of the greatest CEO's of the 20th century.

good read. great story. may lack technical details, but we already knew those. I wanted and got the story of the man who changed the technology world.

Short review: It really was a good book. Could have used some editing in the last quarter of the book. (Did not need a section on the iPhone 4 antena problems or iCloud). But Jobs is a compelling figure and Isaacson had a lot of access. Which leads me to think that there really needs to be a bit more distance from Jobs for a definitive biography. It was almost as much about Apple as it was about Jobs, so some might not be thrilled about that if they are not interested in the growth of the company.

There were very interesting thoughts on what it means (and what it takes) to be great.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/jobs/

I feel like I've known the guy; seriously, after reading this book, watching the PBS special, and reading all the magazine and new articles I'm so engulfed in Steve Jobs' world that it seems like we must have met at some time or another. As expected by Walter Isaacson, it's a well-written, thorough and balanced (at least as far as I can tell) book. Makes we want to go buy an Ipad2!

A good overview of the life of Steve Jobs, but severely lacking, flawed, and flatly incorrect in places where talking about the technology industry. A good read, but should have been a great one.

This is one of the very few books I have read through in less than a months period of time and being 600+ pages long I have got to give credit to Walter Issacson and his informative writing. Sure it may come across as something that's lacking of an opinionated voice from the biographer, but for a person as complex as Steve Jobs, he did well enough to put enough information on the table for one to be able to draw their own conclusion on it. And I'm sure there will be many other books that will try to do the same.

As for Steve Jobs.. I'm inspired and I could related to the some of the things that he did and why he would have done them (was I caught in his charisma to think I am so much like him?)... Kudos to Jobs' balls of steel to think different, assert his views to the world and will the world and the rules to his liking...

As long as this book was, I feel like it could have easily gone on another couple hundred pages. Most of what's in the beginning of the book we know from other bios and the end, everything from about the first iPod on, seems to go by in a blur. There isn't a lot of technical detail and the way the design process is explained seems superficial at times.

Criticisms aside though, the book gives a lot of insight into who Jobs was. While I'm still in awe of what he accomplished in his life, it's somewhat depressing to think that it takes this kind of personality to do what he did. Maybe a company like Apple could be the product of someone more humane and less flawed in his relationships, but as far as I know, it hasn't happened yet.

Jobs had his moments of compassion but it seems like they were far and few between. He'll be remembered more for what he created, the great, and often controversial, leaps forward in technology that he led and most importantly, for pushing people to do more than they ever thought they could.

How does one review a book–the biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson–when the book itself is more or less a review of Steve Jobs' life?

Anybody who reads seems to be reading, or have read, Steve Jobs. Consequently there have already been numerous quotes, reviews, and discussions both about the book, and about Steve Jobs in general. It's difficult not to tread too much on what's already been said, and impart a unique position, but alas, it's worth a shot.

Steve Jobs is a marvelously engrossing book, about one of the world's greatest technology visionaries. It details nearly his entire life, including where he came from–both his genetic parents, and his adopted parents. From the very beginning, it's clear that Jobs must have been insufferable to live with growing up, and even more insufferable as an adult.

What makes Steve Jobs so intriguing are all the behind-the-scenes moments that intersperse the book. Even to those who are familiar with Steve Jobs' life and career, there was a lot of new information presented in this book–both good and bad. In the end, it's clear that though Steve Jobs built a remarkable company, he did so by being shrewd, manipulative, uncompromising, and most of all: unapologetic. His vision of the way people should use technology was unwavering, much to the chagrin of many in the media, and the outside world itself.

It's clear in this book that Steve Jobs was a very difficult person to work for and with, live with, or even to be around in any way. He could be extraordinarily demeaning to people at one moment, and treat them as if they were the greatest person alive the next.

What makes this biography so interesting is the way Isaacson details both the good and bad sides of Steve Jobs. He criticizes Jobs' faults, and praises his strengths–sometimes simultaneously. But it's clear that this biography was designed to portray Steve Jobs, and not some mythical figure who could do no wrong. For those who weren't aware of the way Jobs handled his day-to-day duties, and the way he interacted with those around him, the book may come as a shocking blow; Steve Jobs was not a great guy. Instead, he focused his efforts and his energy on making great products that he believed in.

At times surprisingly callous, and at other times genuinely amiable, Steve Jobs was a man who–perhaps by luck–changed the world. He made no apology for being the way he was; that was simply Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs is a fascinating read, and–though lengthy–is a page-turner. Though completed before Steve Jobs' death on October 5th, 2011, it's clear that the author knew it was likely to be published after Jobs succumbed to his cancer. In many ways, it's a fitting epigraph to a life that was filled with contentious and arduous bouts with corporate executives, celebrities, and even his closest friends and family. Most of the book is spent describing how Jobs became to be the man he was, and also about his ideas and opinions that led to revolutions in so many different industries. It's clear that without Steve Jobs, the world would likely be a very different place.

At the same time, it's also clear that Steve Jobs really was the main force driving Apple's innovation. Though Apple has been built to inherit Jobs' design aesthetics, and culture, one has to wonder how long his influence will continue beyond his death. Is there anyone who will take up the mantle of perfection that Jobs insisted upon? Time will tell, of course.

Steve Jobs is also a wonderful book in that it isn't overtly technical in nature. Someone who's not necessarily into the tech scene, or computers can still pick up and read the book without difficulty. Though there are certainly sections that will enthuse tech people, it doesn't get too complicated for the average reader. It really is a wonderfully intriguing, and well-written biography.