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Jan 24, 2012

Stephanie rated it:

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.

Stev More...

31 comments like (66 people liked it)

Nov 27, 2011

Lisa rated it:

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 e More...

5 comments like (49 people liked it)

Jan 20, 2012

Otis rated it:

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 More...

10 comments like (14 people liked it)

Nov 15, 2011

Gerard rated it:

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 upbring More...

10 comments like (35 people liked it)

Nov 08, 2011

Lynne rated it:

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.

More...

16 comments like (56 people liked it)

Feb 22, 2012

Jeanette rated it:

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.

11 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2012

A. marked it as to-read

the man died yesterday!!!!

Already there are reviews on his biography book?!!!!WOW

They make books faster than we blink!!!!

6 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 10, 2012

Donna marked it as to-read

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 enrichin More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Jan 10, 2012

J rated it:

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 i More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 20, 2012

Ayushi rated it:

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.

8 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 17, 2011

William rated it:

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). T More...

3 comments like (14 people liked it)

Feb 18, 2012

Tamra rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 28, 2011

Michael rated it:

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 More...

2 comments like (8 people liked it)

Nov 17, 2011

Peter added it

Executive summary of Isaacson's "Steve Jobs":

- Remove everything that is unnecessary.
- Be ruthless about building an A team.
- Make stuff you believe in.
- Collaborate often through vigorous discussion.
- Push yourself and others to do the impossible now.
- Make great experiences by simplifying.
- Own your work and protect it.
- Live at intersection of intellect and intuition.

But these are not spoilers. The drama of this biog More...

0 comments like (31 people liked it)

Dec 04, 2011

Lisa (Ravenswood) rated it:

Since his death in October, those of us who use Apple products and/or have a strong interest in technology have read various obituaries, tributes in blogs, and reviews of the Isaacson book. Like other books by Isaacson I have read over the years, this book is beautifully written, very well documented, honest in its criticism and praise of Jobs, and really compelling. The end is of course very sad, no matter how you may have felt about Jobs as a human being. He was both a creative genius and More...

2 comments like (12 people liked it)

Oct 30, 2011

Jane rated it:

I'm still not entirely sure what to think. I keep flipflopping between annoyed/disgusted and inspired.

I applaud Isaacson for putting a masterful bio together without succumbing to the Reality Distortion Field and vomiting out a piece of Jobs-worship like some Apple/Steve-related books out there. I also really appreciate all these little anecdotes, some that I have seen before and others that are new and all the more enjoyable, that people that knew and interacted with Steve shared in More...

6 comments like (27 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

Robert rated it:

This biography was started before his death, so it is not the rush job I originally thought that it would be coming out so soon after Jobs died. However, I feel that the detail and insight into his life is much more biased towards his early years. Time starts passing faster and faster the further you get into the book, and it starts to feel less like a look into Jobs and what made him tick, and more of an encyclopedic summary of what was going on at Apple.

It's still a very interestin More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 17, 2011

Jeff rated it:

I'm going to post my blog entry on this in its entirety, even though it covers thoughts not strictly related just to the biography, but the biography inspired it all.

I recently finished reading Steve Jobs, the well-written and extensive biography by Walter Issacson. Apple's products, and accordingly Steve Jobs, have made a big impact in my life. First and foremost, computers add a lot more to my life than they would have without the products Apple makes, but also they've influenced m More...

2 comments like (8 people liked it)

Nov 29, 2011

Katie rated it:

Oops! The publishers forgot to include a subtitle, so I've taken the liberty of helping them come up with one. May I suggest:

Steve Jobs: Unrelenting Narcissist, Suspected Sociopath and Giant Fucking Asshole

Isaacson writes a great biography: He tells a coherent, cohesive story, he interviews all the players and most important he doesn't feel the need to hoist his subject on a pedestal with his pen. When it comes to carrying a story, our author did all the right things.
More...

3 comments like (24 people liked it)

Feb 02, 2012

Ken rated it:

เป็นหนังสือที่ไม่มีเล่มไหนเปลือยชีวิตของสตีฟจ็อยส์ได้มากขนาดนี้เลย อ่านเล่มนี้แล้วทำให้รู้สึกว่าชีวิตของเขาช่างน่าเหลือเชื่อมาก มีทั้งช่วงชีวิตที่กากสุดๆและก็รุ่งเรืองสุดๆ ถ้าอยากอ่านชีวประวัติของสตีฟจ็อบส์ที่ไม่ผ่านการปรุงแต่ง คือไม่อวยเว่อร์เหมือนเล่มอื่น แนะนำให้อ่านเล่มนี้โลด More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 18, 2011

Eileen rated it:

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates...fascinating men. Genius's who have forever changed the world.

Jobs would have been difficult to work for yet his passion/obsession for Apple has impacted all of us.

I think he died with dignity, certainly his family buried him with quiet dignity....no jets overhead, just private family memorial.

I was impressed by his 'awe' of the Beatles and his quest to come to terms with the Beatles, Apple and music for his Ipods. I had no idea what was inv More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 12, 2012

Moonbutterfly rated it:

Essentially this is a historical overview of Apple, along with Jobs founding of NeXT and Pixar. Many products are mentioned with a special emphasizes on the Apple 2, iMac, iPod, iPhone and the iPad; also included is Jobs wrangling with the music and publishing businesses. Details of Jobs’ personal life are slim, and his life before Apple is almost non-existent. The exception to this is Job's struggle with cancer which is adequately covered. There is an unusual stress on Job's personality in the More...

12 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 19, 2011

Mike rated it:

I just finished the Steve Jobs book and it was probably one of the most enjoyable books i've read in a long long time. I might say the past 10 years. Here's why:

Steve Jobs really cared about his products, deeply. He had an intuitive feel for what the consumer wanted, and what he wanted. He truly wanted his products to be close to art. Even though very few in the industry believed him, even after the Macintosh had been around for over 10 years, he continued to hold on to this bel More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 07, 2011

David rated it:

Wow I enjoyed this book! It's got drama, epic battles, triumph, and a really polarizing protagonist.

There's no doubt Steve Jobs was a deeply flawed person, and this book portrayed that aspect of him really well. He screwed over one of his early employees by refusing to grant the employee any founder stock. He constantly called people bozos and their work shit. It seemed he didn't care about and intentionally sabotaged his relationship even with those in his family.

And More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2012

Michael rated it:

A gripping bio of probably the biggest rock star CEO ever. Jobs comes across as a genius that you probably wouldn't want to work for (unless you're a masochist). He's a visionary who's also painstakingly obsessed with the details and the bigger picture. What is admirable about him is his passion for building great products and great companies and he certainly succeeds in both areas.

It's admirable that Jobs, the ultimate control freak, ceded control of the book to Isaacson saying that More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 08, 2011

Josh rated it:

Well researched, thorough, and a more or less unbiased look into the life of one of the most interesting people of our time. Lots of inspiration to be taken and lessons to be learned from Steve, for both good and bad. Highly recommended, whether you're an Apple fan or not, a geek, business person, father, or just plain like an interesting biography.

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Nov 01, 2011

Jose rated it:

I finally got it! It's started out really well. Personally, I am not a big S. Jobs fan, after reading iWoz he comes across as a jerk, but he accomplished so much in a field full of smart people competing, I am curious about his life. I was not disappointed.

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2012

Sean rated it:

I'm a tremendous fan of Apple products. I also greatly respect what Steve Jobs accomplished at Apple (and Pixar). The story of his rise, fall from the former and triumphant return is almost mythic. Isaacson tells some mean stories here and is consistently engaging. He also never shies away from depicting how much of a raving prick Jobs often was. To Jobs' credit, Isaacson did so with full cooperation from his subject, beginning years before his demise. What other corporate leader would have will More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 15, 2011

Neven rated it:

This is an important book, because it contains unique information about Steve Jobs, and quotes from him. It's also rather bland and uninspired. It's not the book we deserve, but it's the only such book we get. Let's hope better ones can be woven out of different cloth.

1 comment like (12 people liked it)

Dec 23, 2011

Guenther rated it:

ISAACSON, Walter: „Steve Jobs. Die autorisierte Biografie des Apple Gründers“, München 2011
Mehrmals hatte es der Autor abgelehnt, eine Biografie über Steve Jobs, den Apple Gründer zu schreiben. Jobs ist tot und die Biografie liegt vor. Sie zeichnet den zu Beschreibenden nicht von seiner besten Seite. Sie zeigt auch seine negativen Eigenschaften: wie er Menschen beleidigt, wie er jähzornig und spontan aufbrausend sein kann. Sie zeigt aber auch, dass Apple ohne ihn nicht Apple wäre. In der C More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)