It is always refreshing to get a peek into something as enigmatic and as insanely private as the Life of Steve Jobs. Day before, I got my hands on both the Kindle edition as well as the Paperback of Steve Jobs, a biography by Walter Isaacson. Although the book hit the bookstores on Monday, the digital version was released earlier on Sunday and was available on iBooks online store and Amazon's Kindle ebook store to all those who pre-ordered. After a 11 round of sipping expresso and a long reading of 650+ pages back to back, I feel this book is for anyone who likes to read Good stories. Here's my review on one of the best biographies I have read!
What I liked about the Book
- This book is for Everyone - techies and nontechies alike.
- The book provides a different perspective at the professional and personal life of one of the men who have changed the world of computing as we know it.
- Reflects the passion, psychologically-savvy thinking of Jobs and how he believed in keeping things simple yet most effective
- Fascinating to read how Steve looked at the stormy, often difficult relationship with the business world of Silicon Valley partners and rivals, and how Jobs communicated his key business beliefs.I also enjoyed the anecdotes and conversations between Silicon Valley giants.
- The Flash war, disapproval of Android and how Jobs acknowledged the Antennagate mistake when he heard someone quoting "Apple was becoming the new Microsoft"
- Jobs plans of delving into textbook industry and how he wanted to change the way we see Television, providing the simplest possible interface.
- Interesting stories like the New Spaceship Headquarter plans, a four-story, circular building with a massive interior courtyard on a 150-acre piece of landscape and how his son disapproved of the intial design.
What I did not like about the Book
- The Binding and Paper could be better
- Kindle edition could be cheaper
Some facinating details I learnt about Steve
"We all have a short period of time on this earth. We probably only have the opportunity to do a few things really great and do them well. None of us has any idea how long we're going to be here nor do I, but my feeling is I've got to accomplish a lot of these things while I'm young"
- Steve frequently visited a restaurant in 80's owned by his biological father. At that time, neither of them knew they were related
- Steve stopped going to the church at 13 after he saw the images of starving children in Life magazine
- Apple Designer Jony Ive was Steve's spiritual partner and one of the most important people in Steve's life.
- Steve would have been a Poet in Paris if he hadn't started Apple
- Bill Clinton had called up Steve for his advice during Monical Lewinsky's scandal. Jobs had adviced the president, "I don't know if you did it, but if so, you've got to tell the country."
- Jobs hated Eric Schmidt. According to him, Eric had stolen iPhone's interior design to make Android.
- Jobs thought Bill Gates to be unimaginative and one without the power to invent. However Bill Gates was one person he wanted to meet before he died.
- Jobs decided to build a spaceship-like campus since his son did not like the first design
- 'Apps' was one of the prime reasons why Apple gadgets including iPad was accepted so well. Steve was against the idea of Apps until Apple employee Art Levinson changed his mind.
- Steve had requested Walter Issacson for an 'Awesome Book Cover'. Walter delivered :)
As Jay put it "Steve was the man who transformed the way we Connect, Consume and Communicate". R.I.P. Steve!
Go, Buy the Book! Steve Jobs Biography
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