This official biography was written by Walter Isaacson, who also authored the bestselling biographies of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. Isaacson compiled information over more than 200 interviews from Jobs, family, co-workers, and friends and the resulting Steve Jobs wa
s released by Simon & Schuster in late 2011.
If you’re an Apple fan, you definitely know the name “Steve Jobs.” Even if you don’t own a Mac computer, iPod, iPhone, or iPad, you still probably recognize the name, because the man was instrumental in the development of computer technology, smart phone technology, the motion pictures industry, the software industry, and the music industry over the last thirty years. His tragic, early demise ended that era, but his memory lives on in the devices he created, and the hearts of everyone who can appreciate his innovation and vision.
This book is not a fluffy public relations piece. In the 656-page book, you learn things about him that you might not want to know. Jobs was a deeply flawed man. He wasn’t perfect, as much as many people would like to think. He was driven by creativity, and didn’t let a lot of things stand in his way. His perfectionism, obsession, compulsion, and other personality “deficiencies” helped make him into a living legend, an easy-to-hate target for some people’s ire. He was also an icon who seemed larger than life. The book reminds us that he was human.
What is amazing about this book is its success. It went on sale in stores in late October 2011, shortly after Steve Jobs died. The hardcover version reached the #1 place in book sales for 2011 as of December 6. That’s less than two months of sales, and it’s beating out books that went on sale at the beginning of the year.
As for the eBook version of Steve Jobs – well, there is something just so…right…about reading a story about Steve Jobs on a device that he helped create.