Steve Jobs

By: Walter Isaacson

Narrated by: Dylan Baker

Length: 25 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Featuring a new epilogue read by the author.

From the author of the best-selling biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein, this is the exclusive biography of Steve Jobs.

Based on more than 40 interviews with Jobs conducted over two years - as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues - Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the 21st century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple's hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

©2011 Walter Isaacson (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Very nicely done

Would you consider the audio edition of Steve Jobs to be better than the print version?

I love the audio version of all books

What did you like best about this story?

The truthfulness of it

Have you listened to any of Dylan Baker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh, cry, and I was absorbed in it.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book to everyone.

such an amazing person

I picked this book because of a homework assignment for class, I respected the man but after reading it, my admiration for Steve Jobs was tenfold, I wish one day I can open a business that's a fraction as good as what he has created

What a wonderful story

What did you love best about Steve Jobs?

Steve Jobs could be the most influential person of all time.
You just need to sit at an airport and watch all the apple products in use.

What did you like best about this story?

The honesty of his faults

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

I loved this story

The Complete Story

I started out not liking Steve Jobs the man. He was basically an a-hole. But by the end, I had a whole new appreciation for the genius that was Jobs. This book covers the entire man: the good, the bad and the ugly. The research seems to be exhaustive, and the author certainly did the leg work to make this as good a biography as Jobs made good products.

Well Done!

Would you listen to Steve Jobs again? Why?

Yes I am planning on listening to this book again so that I can catch some details I missed.

What did you like best about this story?

I appreciated getting a sense of the man Steve Jobs with many foibles as well as brilliance.

Which character – as performed by Dylan Baker – was your favorite?

Steve Jobs was the best character.

An Excellent Educational Experience

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! There are many life learning experiences that can be gleaned from the information.

Any additional comments?

This was an amazing story! No matter what our opinion is, we cannot discredit Steve Jobs talent and ability to achieve success as a leader in the advancement of technology. I found it interesting how he never gave up trying to accomplish his desires. He had a certain stick-to-itiveness that most people dare attempt.

I am not here to criticize his judgments or character in how he dealt with others or speak harshly about how he met his achievements. If you have not read this story and are contemplating reading it, you will not be disappointed. For those that enjoy learning from the experiences of others, this book provides you with plenty of opportunities to do so.

I chose to listen to the audio version which I felt was most entertaining because it felt like I was receiving the information first hand. While the majority of the book held my attention, at times, the technical details seemed to drag on. But, overall the book is quite educational.

The details described took me through a variety of emotions ranging from sadness to unbelievable and “ah ha” moments. For instance, I recently purchased an iPad and was thoroughly disappointed that it does not support Adobe Flash. After listening to the book, I finally understand why.

Jobs was no doubt a genius! I only wonder what other marvels he would have discovered.

Awesome Narration by Dylan Baker!

What made the experience of listening to Steve Jobs the most enjoyable?

Listening to the story during my commute to work was the most enjoyable part of my ride. For once I didn't mind being in traffic.

Fantastic a true dive into the mind of a Genius!!

What did you love best about Steve Jobs?

The book fully explains his reasoning behind how he designed electronics, how he knew everything that consumers wanted and fought tooth and nail to get everything perfect.

What did you like best about this story?

When he was CEO of both Pixar and Apple juggling the two jobs was huge, he had a long days work.

Have you listened to any of Dylan Baker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When he fought for Pixar and kept them a float until Disney approached to make a film. Pixar makes the best animated films of all time. Nothing compares to the amazing films that Pixar releases.

Any additional comments?

This book is long, but very interesting and really a story that will make you think differently about Apple products and where Apple came from.

Great insight into the man

What did you love best about Steve Jobs?

As a business owner, I've always been fascinated about Steve Jobs and the giant company he created but I never had any real insight into his actual personality other than the things that the media has mentioned about him.

Listening to his biography gave me a much grater insight into his life, how and why he made certain decisions and why his company grew to the juggernaut that it is today.

The book is well written and narrated. The Narrator is easy to listen to and the story flows quite nicely from beginning to end.

if you're an apple fan, a business owner or lead a group of people in any way shape or form, this book will certainly give you some perspective.

Excellent book.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

the story is very well written, Provides good insight into Steve Jobs, Apple, and the type of tyrannical visionary that he was. definitely worth listening to.