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Steve Jobs: A Biography

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 109,313 ratings · 8,998 reviews

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING BIOGRAPHIES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND ALBERT EINSTEIN, THIS IS THE EXCLUSIVE BIOGRAPHY OF STEVE JOBS. Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the rol...more

ebook, 472 pages

Published October 24th 2011 by Simon & Schuster (first published January 1st 2011)

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Apr 12, 2013 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, 2011

Steve Jobs was a damn dirty hippie.

He didn't much like to shower or wear shoes. He believed his diet kept him from getting stinky, not true apparently. In fact he was quite odd and obsessive about his diets, he would go on kicks where he would eat nothing but carrots for long periods of time until he turned orange (maybe John Boehner is on this diet, no pretty sure it's Cheetos). This makes me wonder if these strange eating habits brought on his cancer. Who can say.

Steve Jobs was an asshat.

He w...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Petra X rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-true-story

This is a fantastically well-written and exhaustive biography of a brilliant, if flawed, man, with no holds barred. Jobs great achievement was to marry an uncompromisingly zen creativity to electronically-advanced products when all around built boxes. The art of form following function taken to its extreme, where even the innards are as beautiful as the case, has an authenticity that appeals to all (even those who won't pay for an Apple product).

They say that when you are dying you regret not wh...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Lynne Spreen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow. I'm halfway through this book and, while it's well-written and interesting, I can't get over what a jerk SJ was. Yes, he was brilliant and all that. But he seemed to view other humans as nothing more than ants in his ant farm, sub-biologicals that he could squish whenever he felt like it. And did.

Some might say that his gifts to tech development, that he changed and invented whole industries, would compensate. Maybe the two things went together, cruelty and brilliance.

But the lesson to be...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, autobiography-biography

There are three things necessary for a great biography:

1. A compelling subject
2. An engaging narrative
3. Accuracy

Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs has all three.

Steve Jobs was a fascinating person whose powerful personality and extraordinary life make for a very compelling read. He revolutionized many different technological and entertainment industries by successfully blending technology and the liberal arts, giving consumers products they didn't even know they wanted. He was able to defy reality by...more There are three things necessary for a great biography:

1. A compelling subject
2. An engaging narrative
3. Accuracy

Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs has all three.

Steve Jobs was a fascinating person whose powerful personality and extraordinary life make for a very compelling read. He revolutionized many different technological and entertainment industries by successfully blending technology and the liberal arts, giving consumers products they didn't even know they wanted. He was able to defy reality by simply refusing to accept it (a phenomenon referred to as his "reality distortion field"), enabling him to do the impossible. On a personal level, Jobs was a very sensitive and emotional man, yet he was unable to empathize with the feelings of others, which, along with his "reality distortion field," led to him act in unsavory ways towards people in both his personal and professional life. After reading this book it was easy to understand why Jobs is such a polarizing figure. But whether you love or hate him, it's impossible to deny that he had a major impact on the world, or that he was an interesting person.

Isaacson's narrative style is engaging. Rather than listing a bunch of facts and quotes, which would make for a very dull read, he uses them to construct a story about Jobs' life. The book is also structured in a logical fashion. Although largely chronological, the chapters do center around a certain theme. Isaacson also avoids getting bogged down by technological details, which can be a temptation in a book that features a computer company. Even when the technological aspects of a product are necessary to illustrate a point, they are explained simply so that even a reader who is not tech savvy can understand.

In terms of accuracy, I can only judge based on what I know from other sources as well as my impression after reading the biography. I do not have the resources or connections to go through every assertion made and verify them. I can, however, assess whether or not Isaacson appeared to be presenting an overly positive or negative picture. I believe that Isaacson presents a realistic picture of Jobs that includes both the positive and negative sides to his personality. Jobs comes across as a real person with a lot of flaws and perhaps a mental illness, but who has also accomplished some amazing things. I did not get the feeling that Isaacson was trying to whitewash or defame him.

This is not to say that Isaacson is unbiased, but I have yet to find a biographer who isn't. A biographer must be passionate about his or her subject in order to devote the time needed to write a thorough biography, and with passion comes bias, whether positive or negative. Isaacson was positively biased towards Jobs, however, this did not prevent him from exposing the darker side of Jobs' personality. He also contradicts Jobs' own statements with both facts and other people's accounts. I appreciated that he included both sides of a story.

However, he does tend to justify Jobs' obnoxious behavior and negative personality traits by reminding the reader that these behaviors and traits also led him to do great things, and achieve the impossible. It often seems as though Isaacson is implying that the ends justify the means, although the reader is able to form his or her own opinion. If you can ignore Isaacson's apologetic tone, which is present throughout, the biography does present a balanced picture of Jobs.

Overall, I really enjoyed this biography. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Steve Jobs, Apple, or is interested in particularly influential people. Although Pixar plays a much smaller role, there are also some interesting stories about how Pixar came to be what it is today. I would not recommend this biography to Apple haters or Steve Jobs haters due to Isaacson's apologetic presentation of Jobs' negative traits, nor would I recommend it to fans who would rather remember an idealized version of Jobs. Also, I'd caution readers to remember that this is a biography about Steve Jobs, not about the history of Apple. While Apple is featured in this biography quite a bit since it was a huge part of Jobs' life, more so than his other companies or even his family, there are pieces of Apple's story that are missing or glossed over, presumably because in the grand scheme of Jobs' life, they were not that important. If you are looking for a complete profile of Apple, this is not it, although it will give you some interesting insights into the company, and provide a detailed, though incomplete, history.

Disclaimer: I think it's important to note my personal history with Apple. I have been drinking the Apple koolaid for about twenty years, which is most of my life. In high school, I used to get into debates with people over whether Macs or PCs were better, often being the only Mac defender in a group arguing for PCs. Like any Apple fanatic, I've regarded Steve Jobs with a sort of reverence usually reserved for rock stars and actors. I was, therefore, deeply interested in reading about his life. Take what you will from my review given my feelings towards Apple, and the man who made the company what it is today.(less)

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Jan 15, 2013 Riku Sayuj rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Riku by: Amit Haralalka

Shelves: favorites, reviews

Never expected to find this much enjoyment reading a biography. Isaacson has truly done a wonderful job with this book.

For those who are too busy to read the entire book, please try to grab a quick read of the last two chapters of the book at a book store or airport or someplace - These chapters are a concise summary of the entire book as well as the thesis Isaacson builds up to throughout the book. Besides, it will probably make you buy and read the whole thing anyway.

To call this man a "Great...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I downloaded the e-book on my iPad (quite fitting) Sun. night and stayed up until the very wee hours reading (on a work night, no less). Isaacson's writing style is very engaging and, at least so far, he seems to be embarking on a no holds barred, honest portrayal of this very admired, feared, respected, despised, controversial titan of industry.
As a college senior in '85, watching the iconic "1984" commercial, reading all about SJ & Woz and how they wanted to "change the world", I made it...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Otis Chandler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business, biography

This is an amazing inside view into the life of one of the great businessmen of our era. A must read.

The thing that struck me most about Steve Jobs was that he was an incredible perfectionist. He was a craftsman, and wanted the computers he built to be beautiful and amazing and useful. He believed that computers were "at the intersection of technology and liberal arts" - a phrase he used a lot - because he realized computers weren't just for geeks. They are for everyone, and needed to be able t...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Nanny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, biography-memoirs-history, philosophy-enlightenment, favorites

Buku ini termasuk yang paling lama saya baca secara kontinyu ( ada juga yang dibaca lama karena tertunda atau ditunda dulu), walaupun diseling dengan membaca 1 buku tapi buku ini terus dibaca karena takut kehilangan sensasinya.
Saya termasuk orang yang ‘gaptek’ tapi membaca buku biografi tentang seorang yang terlibat dalam perkembangan teknologi dengan berbagai istilahnya ini tidak terasa membosankan. Jadi pertama-tama salut kepada penulisnya Walter Isaacson yang mampu menuliskan biografi seoran...more

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Jun 09, 2013 Zac rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In a way, I regard this book as a balanced biography. Even though Walter Isaacson is apparently unsatisfied with having gotten all of Steve Jobs's shaft into his mouth and spends a lot of time sucking on Jobs's balls, his recounting of Steve Jobs's behavior left me unavoidably with the impression that Steve Jobs was a world-class asshole. Jobs is presented as so much of a whining, pathetic bully that I find myself glad that he died of pancreatic cancer, and I also find myself regretting that he...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Gerard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My background is as a post-1979 punk rocker. So naturally I view all dope-gorging smelly long hair Dylan-worshiping hippies with a certain amount of suspicion and disdain.

The author shows, on a page-by-page basis, what an insufferable asshole Steve Jobs was. I'm not exaggerating. But the book left me wondering: why? how did he become this way?

The book is fairly well researched, but except for a precious few anecdotes about his youth, very little is said about his upbringing. I'd really like to k...more

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May 05, 2012 Tressa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, technology, 2012, biography

I knew that I would enjoy this book after reading the first few pages, but it far exceeded my expectations. I love learning the history behind products that I use or am familiar with, and Walter Isaacson's book lays out the history of every product Steve Job's is responsible for.

Laurene Powell, Jobs' wife, told Isaacson that she didn't want her husband's life whitewashed, and he certainly didn't. Along with Steve the brilliant innovator who knew how to bring together an A-list team of loyal emp...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Vaman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Walter Isaacson is without a doubt everyone's favorite cherubic imp if only for his mastery of plural form of cherub, cherubim. Felt, at times, that I was reading words from a kindly yet still sharp aging European fairy tale writer. Isaacson, with an impish glance askew, picks out characteristics in people the way your grandfather might: either enveloping them in a warm but fair embrace, bringing them within inches of cherubic face while still rapping them gently for relinquished responsibilitie...more Walter Isaacson is without a doubt everyone's favorite cherubic imp if only for his mastery of plural form of cherub, cherubim. Felt, at times, that I was reading words from a kindly yet still sharp aging European fairy tale writer. Isaacson, with an impish glance askew, picks out characteristics in people the way your grandfather might: either enveloping them in a warm but fair embrace, bringing them within inches of cherubic face while still rapping them gently for relinquished responsibilities/inconsiderate interactions or casting them as unworthy of approaching his treasured cadre of technolog/artists. As bracing as Jobs' life can be when transcribed competently, I couldn't help but think, with an impish glint in my eye, that if Jobs really wanted to make a dent in the universe, he'd pick somebody who didn't require a correction on the physics of Angry Birds in the NYT. Here's a wish list of non cherubim: David Carr, Malcolm Gladwell, Steven Levy, Jon Gruber (unsure if he'd be able to stand up to Jobs and poke and prod the way testy anecdote adoring WI does though), Colson Whitehead, Carles or Joshua Topolsky. Whatever Jobs might've claimed to have wished, he really wanted a mythologizer and no generation can be as endlessly, resolutely, almost ignorantly mythos making as the baby boomers. So it was not without a cherubic smile that Jobs sought out this able sous chef to take what can be said about his life and massage it for the palette of the generation which keeps the Allman brothers relevant and nods approvingly when Jobs claims that John Mayer is one of the greatest guitarists ever.

In short, a single Apple University course may have been as interesting to the aspiring technologist. A scouring of the Gizmodo archives and choice excerpts from this book will do for the gossip hound.

For the books-a-million browser who asks only that things be explained to him or her on a ok-I-see-where-he's-going-with-that level and cannot distinguish an obvious insight from profundity (Gruber posted that Apple itself was Jobs' greatest creation half a year ago), then feel free to learn trivialities and good clichés about the cherubim and imps who changed the world.

I'm still willing to give Saint Steve the benefit of the doubt and believe that as someone with impeccable aesthetic judgement, he wanted to see how someone with less taste than Charlie Rose and a bit more technological intuition than Larry King, would perceive him, never mind that Isaacson is always a level below and a step behind, watching the throne and on occasion, throwing stones and the king but never quite figuring out that you have to be a really deep guy to know the simple, right thing to say.

That being said. A must read for the gustatory explications alone.

(less)

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Feb 22, 2012 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: america, biography-memoir, nonfiction

Walter Isaacson often uses the word "prickly" in reference to Steve Jobs's personality and management style. Remove the "ly" and you'll be closer to the truth. 'Nuff said.

15 likes · like · see review

Sep 23, 2012 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bestseller, computery, nonfiction, work-related, biography

Fascinating bio of an American tech icon. I had known he was the notoriously difficult CEO of Apple and Pixar, but I knew little of his actual personal history. I enjoyed uncovering the Fifty Shades of Jobs - who knew he was a barefoot, bearded, unblinking vegan hippie at 17? Anecdotes about his refusal to shower and his inevitable BO being a professional problem were priceless (so contrary to my initial expectations). Yet as an obsessive perfectionist, motivator, visionary, product man...it's m...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Donna marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Just watched the 60 Minutes interview about this book. I normally wouldn't have considered reading it right away, but it is supposed to be a very true account of Jobs, not just a flattering acount either. I say that because I admire what he did in his work and with his life and I like to read about the failures as well as the successes of accomplished people. I'm not looking for juicy dirt, I just feel a connection to people who actually struggle with various things. That's much more enriching a...more

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Jan 10, 2012 J rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I saw Walter Isaacson on the Charlie Rose Show, and bought the book with reservations since I had previously read his biography of Einstein where I found the author's concern with minutiae annoying and his writing style lack-luster at times. This didn't happen so much with Steve Jobs' Biography.

I recall Isaacson stating rather early in the book that he might be accused of writing something apologetic and perhaps maybe even stand accused of being under the spell of one of the most influential pe...more I saw Walter Isaacson on the Charlie Rose Show, and bought the book with reservations since I had previously read his biography of Einstein where I found the author's concern with minutiae annoying and his writing style lack-luster at times. This didn't happen so much with Steve Jobs' Biography.

I recall Isaacson stating rather early in the book that he might be accused of writing something apologetic and perhaps maybe even stand accused of being under the spell of one of the most influential people in contemporary history's 'reality distortion machine.' The biography seemed fair enough, but I think it may have come too early. It is enjoyable and even has some enduring life lessons, but in the end, I think Walter Isaacson soft-peddled more than he needed to.

Consequently, I wonder how much of Jobs' biography is influenced by Walter Isaacson's world view and vice-versa.

Personally, I think Isaacson didn't reveal anything more than what was already floating in the ether about Steve Jobs, the man. Moreover, it seems the juiciest tidbits offered up by the author came in his varied interviews when he was touring the talk shows to hype the book. While my knowledge of Steve Jobs was next to nothing before I read the book, my perspective of him post-Isaacson, is that of a rather emotionally labile, petulant, brilliant man who was given to extremes of self consumption, willfulness that not only attested to his creative genius, but contributed to at least three life-changing disasters - one with the gravest consequences of all for him because it quite likely killed him.

Because only three significant disasters were written of by Issacson, it becomes a matter of reading between the lines. I am left with the feeling that the author purposefully gives his readership bones so that they can sort of build the final character according to their personal likes. To that end, this biography seems a bit skewed. That is why I give this book 3 stars out of a possible 5; it is likeable enough but seems lacking in substance.

I don't know how, or why other people read biographies, but my reasons focus on understanding people and how they influenced their respective worlds. As a result, I tend to look for examples "what-to-do's" and "what-not-to-do's" as I read. While I remain convinced that few if any biographies ever accomplish what they boldly set out to do; convey a complete, unbiased vetting of what makes up a person's life, it seems even harder to summarize a book - even less so, a life - in merely one sentence, but here goes; being bold and determined in your decisions is a double edged razor that has the potential to cut in your favor but it can also cost you your life.

In biographies, sometimes it's not what you say. It's how you say it. Additionally, sometimes it's about what you don't say or perhaps, that you elect not to say it. Finishing up with this book leaves me with those niggling questions. Unfortunately, I don't think I really know much more about Steve Jobs than I did in the past. I do know however, more about the history of Apple, and that was worth paying for.

Perhaps that is what Isaacson should have framed his book as; a history of Apple's rise, fall and rise again - rather than a biography about Steve Jobs. Apple was, after all, what defined Steve Jobs and is, in large part, what will reflect his legacy.(less)

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Aug 11, 2012 Maria Miaoulis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

With this book Isaacson has produced nothing short of a masterpiece. I can only imagine the pressure he felt in undertaking the project at all. When Jobs first approached him about it, Isaacson resisted, telling Jobs to postpone it for another decade or so. It’s rather amusing that the master manipulator who could bend reality to his will could not convince a writer to record his life story. We owe a great debt to Jobs’ wife, Laurene, for making it happen. She told Isaacson that if he wanted to...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Suzanne Crane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This may be the best book I have ever read. I was initially turned off by how awful Jobs seemed to treat others, but eventually learned there was a method to his madness. I have enjoyed the full gamut of the back story and given this all occurred in my lifetime I cannot help but reconstruct a parallel story in my own mind. For example, where I was in 1984 when the first Mac was released & why the Mac Classic I bought in grad school became a paperweight. (One of the items in my life I wish I...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Connie Cortesi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-purchased, audible, 2013-read, my-best-reads-ever

Are you a fan of APPLE? Do you hate APPLE? Did you admire Steve Jobs? Did you hate Steve Jobs? No matter your answers, you *really* should read this book. There have been things about APPLE I always disliked. This book made me turn many of these things into things I no longer dislike, but also into things I now understand and yes, even admire. There was many many things I learned in here that I had no clue about. There is no way I think you can read this book and not just totally be in awe of Jo...more Are you a fan of APPLE? Do you hate APPLE? Did you admire Steve Jobs? Did you hate Steve Jobs? No matter your answers, you *really* should read this book. There have been things about APPLE I always disliked. This book made me turn many of these things into things I no longer dislike, but also into things I now understand and yes, even admire. There was many many things I learned in here that I had no clue about. There is no way I think you can read this book and not just totally be in awe of Jobs. Yes, he was a total asshole. It's also clear that he never made apologizes for this. He has some very obvious personal issues. Professional issues as well. What I never understood is what drove him. After reading this, I feel very sure that money was never a driving force in his life. Instead it was always his passions. His passions for PIXAR. His passion for APPLE. His passion to always be the best.

Read this book. I am not sure that I've ever read a book that showed a man with such passions. No, this book is not always a nice pretty picture of Jobs. In fact, at times you will think he is complete shit. You will hate him for how he treats his employees. You will marvel at how he justifies his backhanded business ethics. You will stare open mouthed at his tantrums....but through it all, you can't help but to marvel at the man. At all he accomplished. At how he never gave up, no matter who told him it couldn't be done. You will marvel at how he pushes others into greatness. You will wish you could have experienced his "reality distortion field". I also learned so much about APPLE.....I learned and now understand their "closed system" I used to really hate this about APPLE...now I am excited about it....You will understand why they really DID change the world that you and I now know. How many things that Jobs pushed that you don't even realize...but things you would be hard pressed to do without.

I wish I had read this book years ago. I wish I had been an APPLE fanatic years ago. I wish I had bothered to learn more about Jobs before his passing. I wish everyone knew just what he did for APPLE. The story about APPLE that I really never knew when he came back to it's helm.

Again, no matter what your feelings about the man or the company, this is a book worth reading. If you walk away not learning anything new....well, I would surprised. If you walk away without being a little bit awestruck with the man...well, I would be surprised.

Brilliant man.....there is no question....there will never be another like him....

and just one more thing.....

you shall be missed......you left your mark on us all, Steve.....job well done.....RIP.....(less)

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Nov 01, 2012 Ash rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Tech enthusiasts, Apple fans

Shelves: memoir-biography, own_nf, 2012-read, favorites

Apple and Pixar - two great companies and just one man behind them. His "binary view" of the world, quest for perfection, intensity, ability to focus, imposition of simplicity is what made Apple a great company.

Some quotes I liked from the book:
In all of his products, technology would be married to great design, elegance, human touches, and even romance.

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

A drive for perfection meant caring about the craftsmanship even of the parts unseen.

Simplicity is the ultimate soph...more

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May 30, 2012 Books Ring Mah Bell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memo-auto-bio

This was not a book I ever thought I'd read, for a few reasons:

1. I don't get into technology. For real. I did not have a cell phone or an iPod until 2009.

2. not caring much about technology, I therefore don't really care about Steve Jobs.

So, when a friend handed me her copy and said, "This is interesting, you should read it", I did.
(I was in DESPERATE need of reading material at the time, otherwise this may have sat and collected dust.)

So the fact that I started this and really enjoyed it is a...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Tiffany Reisz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Inspiring biography of a truly complicated man. Isaacson lays bare all of Jobs' myriad faults as a human being (and they are legion) and yet in interviews Isaacson is one of Jobs' greatest and most impassioned apologists. So many lessons writers can take from Jobs.

I got teary at the end. Felt like the end of an era. But one long-lasting side-effect of Jobs' obsession with having only A-players on his team is that Apple is still flush with A-players who will keep the innovating going (until a new...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Ayushi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wowie. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. The biography's great. I wonder how much did Jobs influence the content despite reports to the contrary. I think I laughed, cried ,gasped and even threw the book against the wall (really ! I am behaving steve-ish) .5 stars. And the back cover is hot :P I think I stared at it for 20 minutes. Recommended.

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Feb 01, 2013 Melissa (ladybug) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: yearly-challenge, biography-memoir, non-fiction, team-read

Steve Jobs was a narcissistic person. He was very charismatic (he could make you think he was a friend and stab you in the back), had a world view that would not accept anything different than what he saw or wanted and was extremely hard to work for or with (to say the least). He was very abusive and rude. To not just people who only annoyed him but also to people that were supposedly important to him. For these reasons the book was very hard for me to like. I kept wanting to shout at Jobs at th...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Chuck rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This weighty tome (571 pages of text) is an authorized biography insofar as it was written with Steve Jobs' cooperation, but, surprisingly, without his insisting on control of content. The result is indeed a biography -- not a hagiography -- engaging and highly readable (its length doesn't really get in the way).

Jobs was a multifaceted and colorful character -- successful, independent, arrogant, and often repellant. Unlike Bill Gates, he had no developed computer programming skills, and he didn'...more This weighty tome (571 pages of text) is an authorized biography insofar as it was written with Steve Jobs' cooperation, but, surprisingly, without his insisting on control of content. The result is indeed a biography -- not a hagiography -- engaging and highly readable (its length doesn't really get in the way).

Jobs was a multifaceted and colorful character -- successful, independent, arrogant, and often repellant. Unlike Bill Gates, he had no developed computer programming skills, and he didn't create much of anything from scratch. But Jobs possessed an uncanny ability to see latent capabilities in other companies' devices. Combine that with a perfectionist mentality, a laser-like focus on simplicity, and an extraordinary sense of design, and you get the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc. Job's creativity found other outlets following his dismissal from Apple during John Sculley's reign of error (he spent eleven years away from the company before being invited back to save it from ruin). During his absence, Jobs became involved with Pixar (eventually sold to Disney), which revolutionized digital animation, first evidenced by the release of "Toy Story". In sum, Jobs' accomplishments clearly add up to an exceptional legacy, although Isaacson's prediction that "History will place him in the pantheon right next to Edison and Ford" strikes me as overblown, at least if admission to that rarefied group requires an extended resume of actual inventions. I'm inclined to view Jobs as a highly astute businessman whose originality lay in a vision that, as he liked to say, combined the perspectives of technology and the humanities. And he was no slouch when it came to introducing the results to the public.

Ironically, although Apple Computer's origins can be traced to a hacker-friendly machine that Steve Wozniak showed off to Silicon Valley's Homebrew Computing Club, Jobs soon arrived at the view that Apple products should not be modifiable by users. Accordingly, Apple products can't be opened without proprietary tools, and not even the batteries in portable products are user-replaceable. Jobs justified this approach by arguing that Apple's keeping control of everything, from hardware to software, made for a better "user-experience". There is some truth to that (Windows users often have considerable difficulty in getting products from disparate manufacturers to work together); at the same time, Jobs' vision of "seamlessly" integrating various elements requires consumers to purchase Apple products (music players, tablets, phones, etc.), while content for these devices is tightly controlled through iTunes. Although that might put some people off, followers of the Apple Religion seem unfazed, and tend to buy enthusiastically into the whole product line.

Jobs was notorious for bifurcating ideas into either "insanely great" or "shit", and he had no compunction about publicly dressing down, or firing, anyone whose contributions he judged to fall into the latter category. Whether that amounts to mere brutal honesty or acute insensitivity may be up for debate, but one consequence was that those who survived felt pushed to reach higher levels of accomplishment, whereas those who did not were replaced by more talented (or at least more thick-skinned) employees.

Jobs' insistence on listening first and foremost to himself led to products that marketing research would have quashed (his disdain for marketing research was legendary). In fact, the iPad's initial appearance was met with considerable skepticism, but it soon became a huge success. That same trait, however, may also have contributed to Jobs' ultimate demise. After receiving a diagnosis of cancer, he ignored the advice of doctors for an extended period of time, relying instead on a diet that he concocted, and remedies that he found on the Internet. By the time that he acquiesced to more conventional treatments there was no possibility of a cure.

Isaacson delves into Jobs' personal life in some detail, and what emerges is a portrait that is not all that flattering. Perhaps that's what can be expected of someone whose life was primarily consumed by his work. I once had a colleague who said, in a moment of self-candor: "I know I'm an asshole. But let's face it, this world needs assholes." Maybe so, but you probably don't want to live next door to one of them, especially if -- like Jobs -- he insists on parking in your reserved handicapped parking space.(less)

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Jan 24, 2013 Sergio GRANDE films rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Was he smart? No, not exceptionally. Instead he was a genius. his imaginative leaps were instinctive, unexpected and at times magical. He was, indeed, an example of what the mathematician Mark Kas called a magician genius, someone whose insights come out of the blue and require intuition more than mere mental processing power." (Chapter 42)

Assuming that the subject of a biography is of interest to the reader (a safe assumption, one must grant), the work itself can be boring, enlightening or riv...more

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Nov 17, 2011 William rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a little surprised this book ended up being such a disappointment. Walter Isaacson just doesn't know that much about the tech industry and, despite the opportunity and access, didn't learn enough to make it interesting. The one saving grace was the participation of Steve Jobs, his friends, and family, and this alone rescues the book from a lower rating.

Granted, this biography is meant for a mass audience, not someone who is a regular listener of Apple podcasts (yes, like me). The early cha...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Judith Moffatt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was shocked to find that Steve Jobs was such a belligerent, rude, and often cruel man. He spoke h is mind in business and personal relationships with seemingly no feeling for the recipient of his off putting remarks. Was he brought up with no manners?
The more I read, (or listened to in this case) the more I understood his "prickly" personality (as Walter Isaacson puts it). He was a perfectionist with no tolerance for "B" players. He wanted only the "A" players on his team. Jobs had incredibly...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Tamra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

4 & 1/2 stars really. I mean, my life isn't totally changed to never be the same again, but it was awwwwwsome (said in a singing tone)!!!!!! Let's start with #1. Great writing! I don't know how Isaacson did such a good job, no, a great job with keeping on task with his time line. Not easy! #2. I love, love, love that Steve Jobs told Isaacson that there was no skeleton in his closet that he couldn't drag out. That allowed us to have a clear, honest perspective of his life. #3. This book playe...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction-reference, inspirational-hoohah

Entertaining and almost always fascinating, if not particularly deep or insightful. More the superficial portrait that is probably inescapable so soon after the subject's demise. More penetrating bios will, I suspect, have to wait, and will have a more selective focus.

Because it is clear other bios will have to be written: Jobs is a fascinating character, at once an admirable visionary and complete unapologetic brat asshole. Clearly the products he oversaw/drove the creation of are mostly the c...more Entertaining and almost always fascinating, if not particularly deep or insightful. More the superficial portrait that is probably inescapable so soon after the subject's demise. More penetrating bios will, I suspect, have to wait, and will have a more selective focus.

Because it is clear other bios will have to be written: Jobs is a fascinating character, at once an admirable visionary and complete unapologetic brat asshole. Clearly the products he oversaw/drove the creation of are mostly the cobbled-together innovations of many other people who worked for him, but equally clear is that the passion and ego and big-picture thinking that was able to collect and keep track of all the smaller picture details was Jobs' and Jobs' alone. It is tempting to say that catering to that artistic consumer technological vision meant short-changing other parts of his personality, such as the part that feels empathy for people, but such an excuse feels like just that: an excuse. It was a choice Jobs made. He chose to be a brat, to indulge his worst qualities.

But more than just a bio, this is a swell surface accounting of an era, when the rate of technological change was so rapid that the end place—in which I read the book on an e-reader and posted notes with a smartphone—is practically unimaginable in the book's humble beginnings, and was more the stuff of science fiction. Which makes Jobs' early visions—of a computer no bigger than a clamshell notebook—all the more remarkable.

[Earlier entry follows]
Am about 150 pages into this fat biography and pretty much loving it. It's a hagiography neither of Jobs nor of the tech industry, for which I'm grateful. (If anyone comes off as vaguely saintlike, it is sweet, affable Steve Wozniak, who never tells a lie and always thinks the best of people.) Kind of awesome that Isaacson so clearly portrays what a self-indulgent ass Steve Jobs was ... and why that was part of what made him a driving force in an industry that in its infancy was all too willing to be "pragmatic." So the book is inspirational, in a way, though rife with behavorial cautionary tales.

Perhaps what I've loved most about it is the swift evocation of California in the seventies. As someone who grew up there and then, this vividly brought back the seventies and a US culture that is vastly different from the one we have now. I don't know what it was like elsewhere, but I can tell you that much of the suburban San Diego experience mirrors the early Silicon Valley lifestyle captured in this bio (minus the brainy engineers playing with cool junk in their garages; in my neighborhood, we fixed cars). Specifically, it reminded me of those days in seventh grade of learning BASIC on the loathsome TRS-80s (Trash 80s) and not being allowed to work on the Apple II, putting together stupid little programs that did the simplest crap like run multiple choice quizzes. I was telling someone the other day about how back then we would dial up a BBS by putting a phone handset into a cradle with rubber suction cups that fit over mouth and earpiece, and she didn't believe me. That, to her, was such ancient history as to only be the province of dusty books in classroom libraries. Reminded me of when one of the assistants started at Harcourt and couldn't figure out the typewriter because she had never seen one before, turning and asking, "Where's the 'Print' button?"(less)

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About Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson lives in Washington, DC, where he is the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. He is the author of acclaimed, best-selling biographies of Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Henry Kissinger.

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“One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heroes are. (Steve Jobs)” — 125 people liked it

“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away. The more the outside world tries to reinforce an image of you, the harder it is to continue to be an artist, which is why a lot of times, artists have to say, “Bye. I have to go. I’m going crazy and I’m getting out of here.” And they go and hibernate somewhere. Maybe later they re-emerge a little differently. (Steve Jobs)” — 82 people liked it

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