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fulfilled_bluebird's review
4.0
It was really interesting learning more about Steve Jobs. I thought I knew a lot about his life, but it turns out I barely knew the surface of it.
The writing itself was good but for some reason I found the Elon Musk biography, by the same author, much easier to read. Maybe it's just that the author got better with time :)
Back to Steve Jobs, the book tells the story from before Steve Jobs was born to after his death. It is very comprehensive, and very detailed. I was impressed by learning that in Steve's early career, he was doing odd gigs and traveling to India to find himself. I was also surprised by how much intuition mattered to Steve. In a way, I can now understand much better a lot of what came out from Apple, and also Pixar.
The writing itself was good but for some reason I found the Elon Musk biography, by the same author, much easier to read. Maybe it's just that the author got better with time :)
Back to Steve Jobs, the book tells the story from before Steve Jobs was born to after his death. It is very comprehensive, and very detailed. I was impressed by learning that in Steve's early career, he was doing odd gigs and traveling to India to find himself. I was also surprised by how much intuition mattered to Steve. In a way, I can now understand much better a lot of what came out from Apple, and also Pixar.
anglilian's review
4.0
This is my second Walter Isaacson biography and I really admire the lengths he goes to to paint such a detailed picture of someone's life! Maybe a bit too lengthy but consuming this as an audiobook means I can half concentrate and I still get the broad strokes of things.
Some things I took away:
- the importance of having a vision!! It's so powerful to be able to imagine what the world could be like beyond the limits of what is currently possible then work towards it.
- relentless pursuit of simplicity ! Making products that are so intuitive you don't need instructions or complicated steps. Things just happen.
- building your product based on other products limits what you're able to do - but going around this also means being willing to invest in building every part of your product from scratch. If you have a strong sense of your core product, you'll make a better informed decision on whats worth it (related to having a vision!)
- seamless integration!! In a world where it pays to specialise, it's becoming more valuable to specialise in workflows from end to end as opposed to making specific tasks generalisable. (Think: being the best burger restaurant as opposed to the best patty supplier)
- there is power in confidence, especially to others. Lots of people are often waiting for "permission" to do things and when you give it to them, they can move mountains.
- As with many of these insane people, I'd hate it if readers were to takeaway that being an asshole is the key to success -- you can be kind while being tough, honest without being malicious and confident without being cocky.
Some things I took away:
- the importance of having a vision!! It's so powerful to be able to imagine what the world could be like beyond the limits of what is currently possible then work towards it.
- relentless pursuit of simplicity ! Making products that are so intuitive you don't need instructions or complicated steps. Things just happen.
- building your product based on other products limits what you're able to do - but going around this also means being willing to invest in building every part of your product from scratch. If you have a strong sense of your core product, you'll make a better informed decision on whats worth it (related to having a vision!)
- seamless integration!! In a world where it pays to specialise, it's becoming more valuable to specialise in workflows from end to end as opposed to making specific tasks generalisable. (Think: being the best burger restaurant as opposed to the best patty supplier)
- there is power in confidence, especially to others. Lots of people are often waiting for "permission" to do things and when you give it to them, they can move mountains.
- As with many of these insane people, I'd hate it if readers were to takeaway that being an asshole is the key to success -- you can be kind while being tough, honest without being malicious and confident without being cocky.
crashburn's review
4.0
While reading it, I felt like 90% of the book was about the foundation/history of the companies/products/designs Steve Jobs created and only 10% about him as a person. The products or designs he came up with were described in a lot of detail and I fear that if you're not into IT or technology you might get bored rather quickly. The parts I enjoyed most were when the author described Jobs personal situation like relationsships, beliefs etc. and I also enjoyed getting background info on why my iPhone is at it is.
supermdguy's review
Really interesting book, and I liked how Isaacson presented it. The line between passion and obsession is thin.
ranooshe's review
5.0
The book was more towards documenting his professional relations and accomplishments. I got a bit lost in all the details of names and places. One thing was repeated throughout the book though; Jobs was a ruthless, perfectionist artist with weird eating habits, and who 'made a dent in the universe'.
drako1357's review
4.0
Steve Jobs es una biografía autorizada del empresario informático Steve Jobs, escrita por Walter Isaacson, biógrafo estadounidense que también ha escrito las biografías de Benjamin Franklin y Albert Einstein. El libro se basa en más de 40 entrevistas con Jobs, así como en entrevistas con más de 100 familiares, amigos, adversarios, competidores y colegas.
El libro narra la vida de Jobs, desde su infancia en Mountain View, California, hasta su muerte en Palo Alto, California, en 2011. Isaacson explora la compleja personalidad de Jobs, su pasión por la perfección y su feroz impulso, así como sus defectos, como su distanciamiento emocional y su tendencia a tratar a las personas con dureza.
Isaacson también describe cómo Jobs revolucionó seis industrias: computadoras personales, películas animadas, música, teléfonos, tabletas y publicaciones digitales. Jobs fue el cofundador de Apple, Inc., y fue responsable de lanzar algunos de los productos más emblemáticos del mundo, como la Macintosh, el iPod, el iPhone y el iPad.
Steve Jobs es un libro fascinante y bien escrito que ofrece una visión única de uno de los empresarios más influyentes del siglo XX. El libro es esencial para cualquier persona interesada en la tecnología, la innovación o la historia de los negocios.
El libro narra la vida de Jobs, desde su infancia en Mountain View, California, hasta su muerte en Palo Alto, California, en 2011. Isaacson explora la compleja personalidad de Jobs, su pasión por la perfección y su feroz impulso, así como sus defectos, como su distanciamiento emocional y su tendencia a tratar a las personas con dureza.
Isaacson también describe cómo Jobs revolucionó seis industrias: computadoras personales, películas animadas, música, teléfonos, tabletas y publicaciones digitales. Jobs fue el cofundador de Apple, Inc., y fue responsable de lanzar algunos de los productos más emblemáticos del mundo, como la Macintosh, el iPod, el iPhone y el iPad.
Steve Jobs es un libro fascinante y bien escrito que ofrece una visión única de uno de los empresarios más influyentes del siglo XX. El libro es esencial para cualquier persona interesada en la tecnología, la innovación o la historia de los negocios.
ksmckiernan's review
Hard to separate my lack of feeling for SJ from my enjoyment of this book.