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catcardoso's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5 I’m normally not that into biographies. I mostly enjoy stories because of their complex characters and the world created around them, but this book is so well written and easy to follow. With all the dialogues it almost didn’t feel like I was reading a biography. Walter Isaacson transports you into Steve’s world and not only captures his life but the lives of those around him as well. It’s a very pure, interesting and educational story that not only leaves you with knowledge about Steve’s business and personal life but also about the period of the rise of modern technology.
wintrovia's review
4.0
This book tells the story of Steve Jobs life. Walter Isaacson digs deep and gives an honest assessment of Jobs, told from a variety of angles, including the people that didn't like Steve very much.
That's one of the things I find so interesting about Steve Jobs, he was clearly a great man but it seems pretty obvious from this book that he wasn't a nice man. He was very difficult to be around but he managed to get some people to produce their best work and managed to pull together that work into coherent and usually excellent work.
He also failed at a lot of things too but always get going and started on something new. His life was interesting and full of ups and downs but he was always a bit of tryant.
The book tells the story of Steven Jobs life in more or less chronological order, starting with his childhood and ending with his untimely death a few years ago. There's potential for the life-story of a successful businessman to be boring but it's always interesting and there's lots of insight from the people Isaacson interviews.
Some sections felt a little bit padded out and it could perhaps have been done a bit more concisely - there are only so many stories you can hear about Jobs falling out with some executive or other before they start to blur into one.
The concept of Steve Jobs' "reality distortion field" is intereting though. So many of the people that contributed to the book commented on his ability to bend reality to his will when he was dealing with people. Sometimes this would involve him lying to people's faces, other times it would be demanding more from people than they thought they could give. It was part of why he was an bad person to work with but also why he acheived so much.
Another subject the book covers well is how much did Steve Jobs actually acheive himself and how much was the work of other people. He had the ability to find more skilled people than him and then market their work for them. Is that a skill in and of itself? It's hard to say but the book does dig into this and Steve Wozniak and Jony Ives both talk about Steve getting credit for their work.
So the book is generally very good, it's probably not going to be of interest to you if you don't like technology and specifically Apple but assuming these are interesting to you then this book is a great read.
That's one of the things I find so interesting about Steve Jobs, he was clearly a great man but it seems pretty obvious from this book that he wasn't a nice man. He was very difficult to be around but he managed to get some people to produce their best work and managed to pull together that work into coherent and usually excellent work.
He also failed at a lot of things too but always get going and started on something new. His life was interesting and full of ups and downs but he was always a bit of tryant.
The book tells the story of Steven Jobs life in more or less chronological order, starting with his childhood and ending with his untimely death a few years ago. There's potential for the life-story of a successful businessman to be boring but it's always interesting and there's lots of insight from the people Isaacson interviews.
Some sections felt a little bit padded out and it could perhaps have been done a bit more concisely - there are only so many stories you can hear about Jobs falling out with some executive or other before they start to blur into one.
The concept of Steve Jobs' "reality distortion field" is intereting though. So many of the people that contributed to the book commented on his ability to bend reality to his will when he was dealing with people. Sometimes this would involve him lying to people's faces, other times it would be demanding more from people than they thought they could give. It was part of why he was an bad person to work with but also why he acheived so much.
Another subject the book covers well is how much did Steve Jobs actually acheive himself and how much was the work of other people. He had the ability to find more skilled people than him and then market their work for them. Is that a skill in and of itself? It's hard to say but the book does dig into this and Steve Wozniak and Jony Ives both talk about Steve getting credit for their work.
So the book is generally very good, it's probably not going to be of interest to you if you don't like technology and specifically Apple but assuming these are interesting to you then this book is a great read.
lburden03's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! Despite the negative comments that it spurred shortly after its publication, I enjoyed learning more about the creation of Apple, where it came from, where it started, and how the company works. I also felt like this book had some cool background stories and interesting facts that occurred throughout the building of the company.
For a more in depth review, check out my new book blog, A Nook of Blankets and Books!
http://anookofblanketsandbooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/steve-jobs-book-review.html
For a more in depth review, check out my new book blog, A Nook of Blankets and Books!
http://anookofblanketsandbooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/steve-jobs-book-review.html
nangerecht's review
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I'm in the camp of Steve being a jerk. He was mean, arrogant, driven, emotional, ruthless, a cheat, a showman, and controlling. Sad that he had to suffer so with his cancer. He made his goal of building a lasting company. He was not driven by money. The book was well written.
jesslolsen's review
3.0
The main thing that stuck with me from reading this book, was how different my perception was of Steve Jobs from reality. I had little knowledge of who Steve Jobs really was and his role as a businessman, so was really surprised to hear about his abrupt personality and sometimes bizarre personal hygiene.
I admire him for allowing a biography so honest and forthcoming about all his achievements and short-comings - both in his view and of others. This biography was really well-rounded thanks to so many interviews with people he came in contact throughout his life, both good and bad, and you got the feeling that nothing was held back, but surprisingly little was given from Steve's wife, especially with regard to their marriage, so it would be really interesting to hear how she coped being married to him for 20-something years.
Another thing I found really interesting was the role he played in both Apple and Pixar. After reading the book I realise he was a really great business executive, rather than an engineer, and he was able to make great imaginative leaps while valuing the end-to-end process of a product, and this is what sets Apple apart from its competitors. You really do need to admire his ability to evolve and advance technology, and in the book he often says that "people don't know what they want until I show them".
I found the second part of the book more engaging as I was more familiar with the products and company. Steve seemed to be portrayed more harshly in the first half of the book.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of technology or Steve Jobs, but it is not an easy biography to read if you are not a tech-head, and I found myself skim reading some paragraphs due to this. I'm glad I read it its but probably not one I would ever read again.
I admire him for allowing a biography so honest and forthcoming about all his achievements and short-comings - both in his view and of others. This biography was really well-rounded thanks to so many interviews with people he came in contact throughout his life, both good and bad, and you got the feeling that nothing was held back, but surprisingly little was given from Steve's wife, especially with regard to their marriage, so it would be really interesting to hear how she coped being married to him for 20-something years.
Another thing I found really interesting was the role he played in both Apple and Pixar. After reading the book I realise he was a really great business executive, rather than an engineer, and he was able to make great imaginative leaps while valuing the end-to-end process of a product, and this is what sets Apple apart from its competitors. You really do need to admire his ability to evolve and advance technology, and in the book he often says that "people don't know what they want until I show them".
I found the second part of the book more engaging as I was more familiar with the products and company. Steve seemed to be portrayed more harshly in the first half of the book.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of technology or Steve Jobs, but it is not an easy biography to read if you are not a tech-head, and I found myself skim reading some paragraphs due to this. I'm glad I read it its but probably not one I would ever read again.
marieintheraw's review
4.0
I enjoy this author's biography skills. I always feel like I learn something new and fun even if it is a bit long.
celtic_oracle's review against another edition
4.0
Steve Jobs was really a fascinating man. I spent most of my time listening to this book wishing I could have worked with him, and thanking my lucky stars that I didn't.
I also appreciated the insight into Apple as a company, particularly under Jobs. It was interesting to see how the different products evolved, and I had always been rather anti-Apple because I thought that Apple insisted on closed systems for profit reasons. Knowing it was more about Jobs's passion for the perfect product, and how end-to-end control made this possible, I feel a little more lenient. :)
A really interesting read.
I also appreciated the insight into Apple as a company, particularly under Jobs. It was interesting to see how the different products evolved, and I had always been rather anti-Apple because I thought that Apple insisted on closed systems for profit reasons. Knowing it was more about Jobs's passion for the perfect product, and how end-to-end control made this possible, I feel a little more lenient. :)
A really interesting read.