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

brilliant brilliant brilliant!

A very balanced portrayal of the man, the legend, Steve Jobs. Never realised what a genius he was. Also never realised what a turd he could be at times. An absolutely captivating read (listen)

What a book!

Where does Steve Jobs rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is not my type of book but i was encouraged to purchase the book by a friend and I do not regret it. The writing is great, the story is absolutely wonderful!! I will definitely read it a second time or third! The book was interesting, packed so full of information from the beginnings of Steve Job to the end. When I purchased the book, I could not imagine it holding my interest for 25 hours, but it certainly did. Great job by the author and the narrator. This book is well worth the credit. I'm a romance type reader so this is totally out of my preferred genre an was one of the best books I have listened too.

Fascinating!

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

A fascinating look at not only the life of Steve Jobs but many of the people that make up the story of Apple and even some of its rivals. This book tells the rich history of tech -- from Apple to Next to Windows and HP and how they intertwine along the way.

Stands up to the hype | Narration not so much

Any additional comments?

Isaacson's book deserves all the accolades. Wanted to read this after seeing the Boyle-Sorkin movie, which was, frankly, uninspiring.

This book is everything I hoped the movie would be.

But I had to stop listening as I HATED the narrator. So going to read the book instead.

The critical story for the digital generation

The story of Steve Jobs, as told by this author, is a critical story for everyone to understand in the digital generation. In the era of the iPhone and iPad and everything related to technology-infused consumer products this century, it's an experience to taste the drive that created the most famous ones. The shocking reality is that you probably will not like Steve Jobs after you finish the book, but you will definitely appreciate the attention to detail and the force of nature that was Steve Jobs, and you will get a glimpse into what it took to change the future of technology.

The best audible book!

This is a very well written and very well narrated book. I never really knew much about Steve Jobs, all I know is that he was the CEO of Apple. listening to this book is like reliving the life of him with him. The narrator is really good. I cried at the end of the book. He best memoir I've ever listened to!

Definitely Unabridged, but entirely fascinating

I really enjoyed my time listening to this book, it provided a deep and fascinating insight into a man I barely knew outside of his later conferences (late Apple adopter, was always a Windows man)

This book however was so large and my life so busy I never had to time to read it, so being able to have it read to me was a gift I can only thank Amazon and the people behind this production for.

The narrator used a clear sometimes monotone voice for standard describing, but shunted into perfectly characterized tones and nuances of the people being portrayed in speech. You always knew who was talking even if your went paying attention.

Loved every second of this.

The unabridged version however can get long in the tooth, but the details presented are worth listening to if you care enough about the subject matter.

Isaacson brings Jobs to life.

Where does Steve Jobs rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This biography is outstanding in its recollected conversations; personality of Steve Jobs; his fierce and singular world view; his legacy at Pixar and Appple. Isaacson is a superb biographer in my estimation for he knows how to spin an interesting story that brings Jobs to life. I am so much better informed about Apple vs Microsoft, about the difference in computer platforms, about the thinking that informs these technologies. As a result, I can appreciate Apple's beautifully designed user experience but at the same time rebel at the lack of choices and costs associated with it. But no one can doubt that the force of Steve Job's vision propelled Apple ipod, ipad, and imac to dominance in the consumer market.

What other book might you compare Steve Jobs to and why?

The biography of Louis Zamperini as told by Laura Hillenbrand in UNBROKEN is so well written and memorable that it is unforgettable. The difference between the two biographies is that Zamperini is much more likeable than Steve Jobs, suffered and redeemed himself. Two vastly different types of men who both made an impact on the world, each is their own way based upon their choices and circumstances they lived with.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where Steve Jobs betrays Steve Wozniak when he "forgets' to tell him about the bonus payment. You see that lack of character and narcissism that characterizes Jobs. It isn't a happy experience but it tells a great deal about Jobs.

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

Steve Jobs' neglect of his daughter Erin.

Any additional comments?

As a human being, I found myself liking the man less despite my respect for his achievements in the marketplace. His general lack of philanthropy. His focus on the company leaves the product in a better place, but does not contribute to humanity like many of his peers do for the betterment of folks with lesser means. Too bad. You wonder why Steve Jobs had to be such a tyrant...could he not have achieved what he did by being a reasonable, stable, good man??? You have to wonder.

just a phenomenal retrospective

awesome story that tells of a dynamic man who was crazy enough to try to change the world. highly recommended for any entrepreneur or product developer.

Hey...the reader is fine.

Any additional comments?

I hesitated to buy this book because of some reviews that criticized the reader. I finally broke down and bought the book anyway and was happy to find the reader to be just fine. I found him to be easy to listen to...and was not irritating at all.

The book's content and story line was great. I've read Isaacson's bio of Franklin...and am likely now to order the audio version of his bio of Einstein.