iCon: Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business - Softcover

Young, Jeffrey S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471787841 ISBN 13: 9780471787846

Publisher: Wiley, 2006

Synopsis

iCon takes a look at the most astounding figure in a business era noted for its mavericks, oddballs, and iconoclasts. Drawing on a wide range of sources, Jeffrey Young and William Simon provide new perspectives on the legendary creation of Apple, detail Jobs s meteoric rise, and the devastating plunge that left him not only out of Apple, but out of the computer–making business entirely. This unflinching and completely unauthorized portrait reveals both sides of Jobs s role in the remarkable rise of the Pixar animation studio, also re–creates the acrimony between Jobs and Disney s Michael Eisner, and examines Jobs s dramatic his rise from the ashes with his recapture of Apple. The authors examine the takeover and Jobs s reinvention of the company with the popular iMac and his transformation of the industry with the revolutionary iPod. iCon is must reading for anyone who wants to understand how the modern digital age has been formed, shaped, and refined by the most influential figure of the age a master of three industries: movies, music, and computers.

About this title

Review:

..."the writing is savvy and lively...even readers with a scant interest in computers, technology or animated movies will find the tale entertaining..." ("www.getabstract.com, 29 Aug. 2005) ..."a story of the personalities behind the facts and figures...includes some interesting personal touches..." ("Liverpool Daily Post, 22nd June 2005) " ... rich in anecdotes and retellings of turning points in the lives of Jobs, Apple and Pixar... " ("Information Age, 1st August 2005) ..."the authors paint a vivid picture of Jobs as an occasional genius and a regular jerk. All of which makes for gripping reading for any Mac fan..." ("icreate, July-December 2005) " ... Young and Simon are particularly good at telling the inside story... " ("Belfast Sunday Life, 3 July 2005) " ... new perspectives on the creation of Apple... details Jobs's meteoric rise, fall and rise again... " ("Moneywise, June 2005) " ... a well-balanced look at an incredible life. The achievements are all catalogued in full, as are the personal idiosyncrasies and shortcomings... " ("Glasgow Sunday Herald, June 19 2005) "Provides insight into inner businer business strategies and power plays between larger-than-life personalities such as Disney boss Michael Eisner." ("USA Today) Apparently, this book hit a nerve. Or several. According to media reports, Apple Computer removed all of the titles published by John Wiley & Sons from its retail stores to protest this book. Included were the successful Dummies series, as well as computer-related volumes from popular authors Andy Ihnatko and Bob LeVitus. Sowhat's the fuss? This biography of Apple's co-founder is fairly well balanced. The authors keenly admire Jobs despite the many personal shortcomings they catalog, gleefully referring to sundry over-the-top idiosyncrasies as examples of Jobs' ''Stevian'' hubris. But there's much to admire about Jobs. An adopted child of a northern California working class couple, he parlayed rabid curiosity about electronics, preternatural entrepreneurial zeal and a fierce sense of self into a partnership with the brilliant Steve Wozniak and created the revolutionary Apple II, the first popular personal computer. The pair became multimillionaires, though Wozniak eventually left the company to pursue other interests -- including flying small airplanes -- after nearly dying in a plane crash. Jobs subsequently latched onto and took over a wayward project at Apple to develop the next generation machine, and the resulting Macintosh became the computer of choice for artists and other creative folks. Jobs' prickly personality and immense ambition may have helped drive his success but also fueled clashes with executives, board members and others, and led to his forced departure from the company he co-founded. That was Jobs' wild first act. But authors Jeffrey Young and William Simon also chronicle what came next. After leaving Apple, Jobs' new computer company, NeXT, was a near-disaster. Though technologically advanced, the box was expensive and ill suited for its intended market, universities. Still, the operating system held great promise and the possibility for Jobs' return to the spotlight. When divorce forced Star Wars auteur George Lucas to sell off his nascent computeranimation company, Pixar, Jobs scooped it up at a fraction of the asking price. Soon, the production company allied with Disney and became a creative powerhouse in its own right, with smash films, "Toy Story and "Finding Nemo. When Pixar went public, Jobs became a billionaire. At the same time, Apple was having a rough time with its latest CEO, Gil Amelio, who slashed costs, consolidated product lines and seemed to be on the verge of turning the company around despite a lack of ''Stevian'' political prowess. His search for an appropriate operating system for a new, more powerful Macintosh attracted Jobs' attention. His NeXT software was the ticket back to Apple. After some deft machinations, Amelio was sent packing and Jobs became ''interim'' CEO. Soon, some new, very cool computers were introduced by Apple and the company was again deemed successful and sexy, though Young and Simon suggest that Jobs was the beneficiary of the departed Amelio's cost-cutting and new product development initiatives. Regardless, Jobs struck gold again with the introduction of the iPod music player, and the ''interim'' was removed from his title. The biography includes many personal details that surely embarrass Jobs, such as his early abandonment of a daughter born to an unmarried girlfriend (both of whom he later reconciled with and supported), along with endless examples of pride, egotism, venality, ruthlessness and conceit. But it's still an interesting and engaging tale. Warts and all, for better or worse, Steve Jobs is undisputedly an American business icon. ("Miami Herald, June 6, 2005) "One of the most captivating business biographies of recent years. Young and Simon havedone a masterful job." ("Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) "A fascinating tale of an imaginative genius." ("BookPage)

From the Back Cover:

Now updated to cover the acquisition of Pixar by Disney

"An interesting and engaging tale. Warts and all, for better or worse, Steve Jobs is undisputedly an American business icon."
The Miami Herald

This unflinching and completely unauthorized portrait reveals how Steve Jobs staged the greatest second act in the history of business. Taking us back to the heady days of Silicon Valley in the 1970s, iCon shows how Jobs achieved his first great success, rising from an outcast high school electronics nerd to become the driving force behind Apple and avatar of the computer revolution, only to be driven from the company in failure and disgrace. It then takes us behind–the–scenes as Jobs works his way toward an astounding comeback, revolutionizing the entertainment industry with Pixar, reclaiming the throne at Apple, and, with the extraordinary success of the iPod, regaining his reputation as arguably the greatest innovator of the digital age. As the book ends, Disney has just acquired Pixar, making Jobs Disney′s largest shareholder and setting the stage for act three.

"Provides insight into inner business strategies and power plays between larger–than–life personalities such as Disney boss Michael Eisner."
USA Today

"A fascinating tale of an imaginative genius."
BookPage

"One of the most captivating business biographies of recent years. Young and Simon have done a masterful job."
Fort Worth Star–Telegram

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0471787841
• ISBN 13: 9780471787846
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368