• Insanely Simple

  • The Obsession that Drives Apple's Success
  • By: Ken Segall
  • Narrated by: Ken Segall
  • Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (714 ratings)

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Insanely Simple  By  cover art

Insanely Simple

By: Ken Segall
Narrated by: Ken Segall
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Publisher's summary

To Steve Jobs, Simplicity was a religion. It was also a weapon.

Simplicity isn’t just a design principle at Apple - it’s a value that permeates every level of the organization. The obsession with Simplicity is what separates Apple from other technology companies. It’s what helped Apple recover from near death in 1997 to become the most valuable company on Earth in 2011.

Thanks to Steve Jobs’ uncompromising ways, you can see Simplicity in everything Apple does: the way it’s structured, the way it innovates, and the way it speaks to its customers. It’s by crushing the forces of Complexity that the company remains on its stellar trajectory.

As ad agency creative director, Ken Segall played a key role in Apple’s resurrection, helping to create such critical marketing campaigns as Think Different. By naming the iMac, he also laid the foundation for naming waves of i-products to come.

Segall has a unique perspective, given his years of experience creating campaigns for other iconic tech companies, including IBM, Intel, and Dell. It was the stark contrast of Apple’s ways that made Segall appreciate the power of Simplicity - and inspired him to help others benefit from it.

©2012 Ken Segall (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A blueprint for running a company the Steve Jobs way...should be required reading for anyone interested in management and marketing." (The Times, London)

"Gets inside Apple’s branding and marketing to explain its directness and power." (Financial Times)

"Required reading." (The Observer)

What listeners say about Insanely Simple

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The inner workings of Apple revealed

Would you listen to Insanely Simple again? Why?

This book reveals the inner workings of Apple like no other book I've come across and it can be really useful for your own business. Ken Segall gives lots of hands on tips and references that are well worth a relisten and summarize the most important aspects again in the end of the book. Learn how to avoid the traps of complexity and how to gain from the power of simplicity.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting if You're a Fan of Apple

Would you try another book from Ken Segall and/or Ken Segall?

Its hard to say. While I liked the content of the book, Ken Segall spends way too much time explaining and reminding us of:
1. Proximity to Steve Jobs
2. How long he worked with Steve Jobs
3. Basking in the after-glow of Steve Jobs

The intro and Chapter 1 was enough, we get it. Now get on with the actual "meat" of the book.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Insight into the Steve Job's mentality and the war stories of those who worked/lived with his "genius." The least interesting was the amount of time the author spent repeating how long and intimately he worked with Steve Jobs.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An inspiration to be simple

What about Ken Segall’s performance did you like?

The voice wasn't as smooth as a professional reader in some parts, but it was okay.

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

The author worked with Steve Jobs for over a decade on marketing campaigns, so he has had a lot of interactions with him. The book illustrates how Steve Jobs was able to push people to create simply elegant products. He didn't waste his time in dressing up how to say or do something to avoid hurting someone's feelings. He had laser focus on simplicity and quality. While it's not the most comforting situation to be the recipient of Job's tirade, at the end it usually lead to a superior product.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very Well Done

This was a great follow up to listening to Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. It seemed to get into a specific component of the Steve Jobs story and add to it in a way that was compelling and different.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Importance of simplicity in life & business

What did you love best about Insanely Simple?

The examples & stories of Ken Segall's interaction & decision making in Apple.

What did you like best about this story?

How much impact "Simplicity" has in every day working and how 'Simple' is is also a difficult objective to achieve. Once achieved, 'simple' can do wonders to life, customers and business

What about Ken Segall’s performance did you like?

The narration of stories & live examples

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Passion for simplicity

Any additional comments?

This book is wonderful essay on the vision and product portfolio of Apple based on "simplicity". Probably, this is the greatest secret behind Apple's great success in business and peoples' great satisfaction on Apple products. I was surely able to relate the simplicity in my iPhone as i listened to the audio. Unfortunately, I find iTunes is not so simple to use. Three features in iPhone that I felt missed in iPhone was: (i) Reply to all attendees of a meeting from the calendar meeting request (ii) Saving specific SMSes and emails permanently in iPhone (iii) iPhone as a tourch light application

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Insanely Excellent

What made the experience of listening to Insanely Simple the most enjoyable?

Narration by the author.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Insanely Simple?

Too many to list - excellent book whether you're an Apple fan or not.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Simply a great Listen!

I would like to know if Ken has a recommended follow up to Insanely Simple.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

This is a must read book for product developers and business leaders. Cannot recommend enough

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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should have been an essay

It’s one main idea paraphrased over hours and hours of reading / or text. Apple was all about simplicity, while other companies are not.
There you have it, saved you 4h of listening!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best insight into Apples success

This was such an incredible audiobook to listen to! I have definitely come away with ideas and stories that I have never heard before. And it has instilled in me a spark to simplify things in my business and in my life. I would very much recommend this audiobook!

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