rick2's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastically fun read. In depth enough that I feel like I learned something. Used plain enough language that I never felt lost. Seemed to attempt to henestly portray the negative side effects of iPhone production without being preachy. Overall, this is what I look for in tech journalism.
rwarner's review against another edition
4.0
Learning what it takes to create the device in my pocket has added some guilt to my growing pile. Still, it was interesting to learn where the materials come from, where the ideas came from, how people assemble this thing, and what it took to get the hardware and software to come together. Fascinating.
swetzel9's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great overall look at what goes into making your iPhone, and really any high tech consumer device that gets made today. The author goes as far as visiting the mines where the rare earth elements that go into the phone are mined. You're left with being both amazed at everything that goes into your miracle-device-phone and kind of wondering if its worth it.
The other aspect of this book is how exactly the iPhone was conceived and built by Apple from 2005-2007. The author does a good job of cutting through the mythos of Steve Jobs as singular visionary and showing how the team that put it together came together and worked. He also traces the core technologies (multi-touch screens, wireless internet, tiny cameras, etc) that existed individually but came together so elegantly for the first time in the iPhone. If you're a fan of Apple or technology in general some of this won't be new (Turns out Steve Jobs was kind of a dick? Who knew?) but it was interesting to have it laid out so you could see the interlocking parts across base technologies, design and integration, and manufacturing.
The other aspect of this book is how exactly the iPhone was conceived and built by Apple from 2005-2007. The author does a good job of cutting through the mythos of Steve Jobs as singular visionary and showing how the team that put it together came together and worked. He also traces the core technologies (multi-touch screens, wireless internet, tiny cameras, etc) that existed individually but came together so elegantly for the first time in the iPhone. If you're a fan of Apple or technology in general some of this won't be new (Turns out Steve Jobs was kind of a dick? Who knew?) but it was interesting to have it laid out so you could see the interlocking parts across base technologies, design and integration, and manufacturing.
heyjarrod's review against another edition
4.0
Long, and very detailed, but not as captivating as I had expected.
dianchie's review against another edition
I love my iPhone and all the cool things it can do for me. I am integrated into the Apple ecosystem as much as any person, reasonably, could be. That said, this book just was not doing it for me. I maxed out my renewals and while I honestly tried to get through it, I was just pushing it too far.
adithyavs's review against another edition
5.0
It’s very rarely you find a book that gives you a complete picture of a business, a product or a leader. The One Device by Brian Merchant is certainly one such book.
The most captivating thing about this book is that it gets into the details of Apple, iPhone and the people behind it with an exhilarating and often an anti-establishment perspective. This book is not a eulogy to an iPhone or the company that made it. The author is extremely critical of the company and its practices. But at the same time he does not take away anything from the Marvel that the iPhone is answerable usual that it brought forth.
Whatever his biases are, he fights them well and gives a very refreshing perspective into the whole affair of the smartphone revolution.
The most amazing thing about the narration and the book is the fact that it delves into details that it that you do not expect it to get into. The author talks about the mines where the minerals that go into the iPhone are mined, he talks about e-waste disposal, he talks about the mindbogglingly big assembly lines where the iPhones are produced and at the the same time he does not leave out the characters who worked behind the scenes to make the iPhone work. He does not allow Steve Jobs to take away the whole credit for iPhone as he did when he was alive.
The tone of the book is energetic and casual. But the same time it does not take away anything from the seriousness of the conversation that is in vogue.
It was a brilliant read and one book that I might think of shelving for a second read.
The most captivating thing about this book is that it gets into the details of Apple, iPhone and the people behind it with an exhilarating and often an anti-establishment perspective. This book is not a eulogy to an iPhone or the company that made it. The author is extremely critical of the company and its practices. But at the same time he does not take away anything from the Marvel that the iPhone is answerable usual that it brought forth.
Whatever his biases are, he fights them well and gives a very refreshing perspective into the whole affair of the smartphone revolution.
The most amazing thing about the narration and the book is the fact that it delves into details that it that you do not expect it to get into. The author talks about the mines where the minerals that go into the iPhone are mined, he talks about e-waste disposal, he talks about the mindbogglingly big assembly lines where the iPhones are produced and at the the same time he does not leave out the characters who worked behind the scenes to make the iPhone work. He does not allow Steve Jobs to take away the whole credit for iPhone as he did when he was alive.
The tone of the book is energetic and casual. But the same time it does not take away anything from the seriousness of the conversation that is in vogue.
It was a brilliant read and one book that I might think of shelving for a second read.
lisatorrealba's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed the content of this book, I disliked the tone. It would inspire awe at the success, the innovation, the addictiveness, or whatever, of the iPhone, but then it would guilt trip you about the environmental and social repercussions of the whole thing. This is a complicated issue for our society to deal with, but rather than explore it in a way that helped the reader take action or make a change, it was just confusing. But I did learn a lot.
tlockney's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating story with tons of great detail and background. The history of what became the iPhone goes back much further than you expect. Despite Jobs' claim of Apple inventing multitouch, the story is deep and lengthy and worth reading. There's also a long journey connecting from Vennevar Bush's Memex through Kay's Dynabook to the iPhone. No, the iPhone is not the spiritual progeny of either of those visionary devices. It is something else entirely. But seeing the history of ideas and inventions that led up to it is fascinating and informative. Merchant's book gives an engaging view of how this all came together.
oldtom's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointing. I think there has to be several great stories related to the development of the iPhone. There are a few of them here. Admittedly there is a problem given Apple's penchant for secrecy many of the original participants wouldn't give interviews and several others have died. But Merchant's credibility was damaged, in my eyes, by several statements that were untrue and others that have been contested.
In addition, it seems that Merchant implies culpability on Apple's part for the problems with mining elements that are used in the iPhone, which to me seemed pretty far down the supply chain. It appeared to me to be blaming Apple for many of the problems of capitalism.
Could have been much better.
In addition, it seems that Merchant implies culpability on Apple's part for the problems with mining elements that are used in the iPhone, which to me seemed pretty far down the supply chain. It appeared to me to be blaming Apple for many of the problems of capitalism.
Could have been much better.
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