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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Steve Jobs truly is an icon!:
I became a huge fan of Apple after purchasing a Powerbook in 2005. Unknowingly I became a disciple of Steve Jobs in doing so, and have become increasingly loyal to the brand as result. When purchasing the book iCon, I simply wanted to have a book about Steve Jobs that was as current as possible given the aggressive way the company promotes new products that revolutionize their market. I really really enjoyed this book. As noted in previous reviews it does have some redundancy if you've read early books... more info
Surprisingly Good and Intriguing:
This is certainly the most positive and best book I've read about Steve Jobs - in particular with some other biographies being rather scathing. I didn't have high expectations for iCon though I was very pleasantly surprised to be learning many new things and gaining insights into many of the situations Job's has faced over the years. In a unique twist of fate, I found myself having dinner with one of the key figures in the book - in particular with regards to Apple, the creation of the Macintosh and... more info
Exceptionally detailed account of all of Job's successes and failures:
Young and Simon provide an in depth and seemingly unbiased thrashing and congratulatory depiction of what Steve Jobs has accomplished. There is a lot about Jobs covered in this book, and those with an interest in the man behind Apple, the I-pod, and Pixar will find this book fascinating. Among Steve Jobs accomplishments:
Created the Apple II, making Apple the first computer giant
Created the first windows platform with the Mac
Created the mouse
Funded Pixar against all logic... more info
Waste of Time:
This is a poorly written book. It is biassed toward Steve Jobs and tries to be sensational by exaggerating some events. There are sentences, which are very unfair to Mr. Jobs. One third of the book is about Disney Corp. !! Why should we read about the fight in Disney Management in so much detail? It could have been explained in few sentences. The second act of Steve Jobs is poorly written. The stories are taken from magazines. The book doesn't inform us about the new management team at Apple and... more info
