At first I was a bit skeptical whether I should spend time listening to the audio version of this book. I’ve heard and read both great things as well as bad things about the book. A few people recommended it, while a couple of others discouraged me from reading it. But after getting through only a few chapters I was completely hooked.
The book tells the life story of Steve Jobs from birth until his sad passing, describing the important moments of his life in a very open and honest way.
The part that I personally found the most interesting were the early years of Apple. There’s a lot of computer history in there that stems from when I was just an infant. These fascinating stories alone, like how the Mac and the IBM PC were rubbing shoulders, makes the book worthwhile. I’ve actually learned a lot from this book, especially about the events from the past that made Apple the company that it is today.
I never really considered myself an Apple fan. Heck, I don’t even follow what they are announcing at their conferences or events. I usually read about it days after in the newspapers. But while I was reading the book, I started noticing all the Apple devices that me and my family are using on a day-to-day basis. When did that happen? Did they sneak up on me or what? When I told my wife about this, she told me that I start rambling about replacing my three year old desktop with an iMac every time we walk by an Apple store or a retailer. Wow! This certainly didn’t help either. Perhaps it’s inevitable, I don’t know.
But what I do know is that I really enjoy using their devices (iPod, iPad, MacBook Pro, etc. …) and now I learned about the rationale behind it. And the scary part was that it all made sense as well.
This book tells the remarkable story of a passionate individual with a firm vision that will be remembered for many generations to come. If you’re a technologist, you just owe it to yourself to pick up a copy and read it.
Now I’m off reading a book on Bill Gates.
Until next time.
