Analysis of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson)
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Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Table of Contents Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Table of Contents Table of Contents I. Introduction Background Information for Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Important People in Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Key Terms in Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Key Takeaways from Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Overall Summary for Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson II. Chapter Summaries Steve Jobs Summary: Chapters 1-7 Steve Jobs Summary: Chapters 8-14 Steve Jobs Summary: Chapters 15-21 Steve Jobs Summary: Chapters 22-28 Steve Jobs Summary: Chapters 29-35 Steve Jobs Summary: Chapters 36-42 III. Additional Reading Major Reviews of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Trivia for Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Hyperink Quicklets 1 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Table of Contents Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Table of Contents Steve Wozniak: The Other Genius Steve of Apple (Commentary from Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson) Jobs vs. Gates: The Intellectual Rivalry That Shaped Our Technology (Analysis of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson) iCEO: A Business Study of Steve Jobs’ Five Greatest Successes (Review of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson) Apple’s Future Without Jobs (Analysis of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson) Steve Jobs’ Reality Distortion Field: Why Jobs Refused Traditional Cancer Treatments (Review of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson) Hyperink Quicklets 2 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction I. Introduction Hyperink Quicklets 3 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Background Information for Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson About Walter Isaacson: Steve Jobs is Walter Isaacson’s fourth major biography, and it was his account of the lives of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin that led Steve Jobs to approach Isaacson about writing his own biography. Isaacson attended Harvard University where he earned a B.A. in history and literature, and he also attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Isaacson currently serves as chairman of the board for Teach for America and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He began his career at the The Sunday Times of London before joining TIME Magazine in 1978, where he eventually became editor in 1996. He became Chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, then became President and CEO of the Aspen Institute in 2003. Isaacson enjoyed unprecedented access to Steve Jobs, drawing on over forty exclusive interviews with the tech icon dating back to 2009 for this biography. Isaacson’s other notable biographies include Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007) , Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), and Kissinger: A Biography (1992). About The Book: Steve Jobs was published only weeks after Jobs passed, and the book immediately jumped to the top of every bestseller list in the country. The hotly anticipated biography sold 379,000 copies in its first five days, setting a record for any book, fiction or nonfiction, hardcover or paperback. Amazon recently announced that Steve Jobs was Amazon’s bestselling book of 2011. Sony has already acquired the rights to the film version of the biography, and there are rumors that Aaron Sorkin, who adapted The Social Network for the big screen could be writing the screenplay. Hyperink Quicklets 4 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Important People in Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Chrisann Brennan - Steve Jobs’ first girlfriend and mother of his first daughter, Lisa Brennan. She had a rocky relationship with Jobs throughout his life, once describing him as “[A]n enlightened being who could be cruel.” Tim Cook - Apple’s chief operating officer during Jobs’ second reign at Apple, and successor to Jobs as CEO. Bill Gates - Microsoft CEO and fellow innovator of the personal computing revolution. Gates makes repeated cameos throughout the biography, and is presented as a rival to Jobs at times. Laurene Powell - wife of Steve Jobs, who had previously worked at Goldman Sachs and met Jobs at Stanford Business School. Mona Simpson - Jobs’ biological sister with whom he developed a deep relationship later in his life. Steve Wozniak - Jobs’ partner in founding apple and inventor of the original Apple computer and the Apple II. Wozniak didn’t stay long with Apple, but he was arguably the most important Apple employee in the company’s history. Hyperink Quicklets 5 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Key Terms in Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Microprocessor - a chip that has an entire central processing unit on it, and which began the personal computing revolution. Closed system - design philosophy of personal computing championed by Jobs, in which the hardware and software are tightly integrated and produced by the same team. Open system - design philosophy of personal computing championed by Bill Gates’ Microsoft, in which the hardware is designed to be compatible with multiple software suites. Operating system - computer software system that manages hardware and provides resources for software programs. Apple II – bestselling computer of the 1980s and Steve Wozniak’s claim to fame. Macintosh - next generation personal computer which followed the Apple II and established Steve Jobs as Apple Computer’s leader. Xerox - the most technologically advanced company prior to the personal computing revolution – both Jobs and Gates “borrowed” many of their best ideas from Xerox. IPO - initial public offering wherein a privately held company offers ownership of its shares on the public market – also a way for entrepreneurs to amass great wealth upon the successful IPO of their companies. Digital hub - a computing concept in which a personal computer is utilized as a “hub” for connecting all other electronic devices, such as printers, cameras, and personal music players. Hyperink Quicklets 6 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Key Takeaways from Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson “A players don’t like to work with B or C players” Steve Jobs believed strongly in recruiting the absolute best people he could, and he could be ruthless when it came to making sure “B” and “C” players did not survive at Apple. This came from his strong belief that the best employees only want to work with the best, and that settling for mediocre talent was the beginning of the end for great companies. “Insanely great” Jobs’ approach to product development was different from the typical MBA approach to product development, which tries to strike a proper balance between cost, features and potential profit margins. Instead, Jobs insisted on making “insanely great” products that were great in a vacuum, not simply better in comparison to the competition. This insistence on making insanely great products often backfired, as it did during his tenure at NeXT, but it also produced revolutionary products such as the iPod, the iMac and the iPhone. “Add to the flow” When asked deeper questions about the meaning or purpose of his life, Jobs thoughtfully responded that he considered “adding to the flow” of human progress as the purpose of his life. Those close to Jobs say that he cared deeply about empowering the human race, and giving them powerful tools to be creative and expressive. Jobs added to the flow by innovating great technology products which ultimately improved the human experience. Hyperink Quicklets 7 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Introduction Overall Summary for Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Steve Jobs is a biography of the tech titan, based on a series of interviews with Jobs himself as well as the most important people in his life. The biography covers everything from his birth and adoption to his final days with his family. Jobs first approached Isaacson about writing his biography in 2004, but Isaacson declined at the time, believing Jobs still had another decade or two before his career would be complete. He restarted the project in 2009 when it was clear Jobs’ health was in decline. The biography tracks Jobs through the founding of Apple with his high school buddy Steve Wozniak, through the fierce competition with Bill Gates’ Microsoft in the 80s, the astounding success of Pixar in the 90s, and Jobs’ triumphant return to Apple where he revitalized a dying company and made it the most valuable company in the world. Along the way, Jobs never strayed far from his conviction that integrated systems produce the best possible consumer products. Hyperink Quicklets 8 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Chapter Summaries Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Chapter Summaries II. Chapter Summaries Hyperink Quicklets 9 Hyperink Quicklets Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Chapter Summaries Quicklet on Steve Jobs By Walter... Chapter Summaries Steve Jobs Summary: Chapters 1-7 Chapter 1: Childhood: Abandoned and Chosen Steve Jobs was the natural-born son of John Jandali and Joanne Schieble. Jandali was a teaching assistant from Syria and Joanne was a Catholic girl from Wisconsin whose parents disapproved of her relationship with a Muslim. Unable to wed, they gave their baby up for adoption and baby Steve was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of San Francisco, California. Paul Jobs was an engine technician turned car mechanic, and he introduced Steve to the world of engineering and design, instilling in him many of the principles of good design that are so characteristic of Apple products. Still, Jobs struggled at times with the circumstances surrounding his birth, and he expressed mixed emotions about both sets of his parents. “Abandoned. Chosen. Special. Those concepts became part of who Jobs was and how he regarded himself.” The Jobs family soon moved south of San Francisco to Palo Alto, right as the Silicon Valley technology boom was getting under way.