Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company

Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company | Owen W. Linzmayer | very good

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Apple Confidential...

	Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company Owen W. Linzmayer No Starch Press, 2004 - 323 pages average customer review:based on 102 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Good to have around when stranded on a remote island

Be warned! After reading the last page, you will immediately try to find out about other books that might have been penned by this author. And you will find that there are quite some more (all of which, unfortunately, are out of print, but often still available here).
Not many books make it on the list of books I would like to have on me after stranding on a remote island, but this one definitely did. Whithin the (unfortunately limited) confines of a single book Owen Linzmayer has managed to deliver pretty much everything about the amazing Apple company that was ever intended to become known to the public, plus about every juicy little tidbit that wasn't. Through 322 pages you'll follow Apple from starting (financially backed by the sales of Steve Jobs' old Volkswagen bus and Steve Wozniak's beloved HP calculator) in the garage of Steve Jobs' parents to becoming a leader of the industry with a net sales of more than 11 billions of dollars. A leader who, faltering under increasing competition and a series of desastrous management decisions, almost went bancrupt before rebounding to profitability through innovation, breathtaking design and a flair for the right product at the right time.
Although you're likely to do it anyway because you'll have a hard time putting this book down, there is no need to read it in its entirety from front to back. This is because, quite unlike most company history books, this one does not follow a strict chronological format. Instead, the main products, executives, triumphs and crises are examined in their own freestanding chapters. Timelines provide overviews over key people and products at a glance. For example, the timeline dedicated to John Sculley (Apple CEO between 1983 and 1993) spans four pages and covers all major (and quite some minor) decisions, events and products that influenced Apple's rise and fall during the decade he was in charge.
The book is laid out in a rather unusual way. Pages are divided into two colums. The inner column, occupying about two thirds of the available page width, is where the main narrative is located. The outer margin contains myriads of pictures, cartoons, quotes and in-a-nutshell text blocks that are mostly, but not always, related to the information conveyed in the main narrative next to them. In the chapter on the Apple III fiasco, for example, such a text block will teach you that although 14.000 of the approximately 120.000 Apple III computers sold had to be replaced, Apple received thank you letters from customers, telling them that General Motors would never have done the same.
I found the above-mentioned book layout mildly confusing at first, but it soon turned out that it can increase one's reading pleasure significantly. Eventually, I found myself wondering which interesting little tidbits would await me on the next page way before turning the current page over, eagerly devouring all of them before drawing my attention back to the main narrative as soon as a page was actually turned.
There is but one chapter in this book that, with all due respect, I think deserves some critical comment. Titled "The fallen Apple", the chapter on the Apple Newton explains through 23 pages why this amazing machine was a failure. From the standpoint of Apple's finances, the Newton might indeed be considered such. But from the standpoint of its continued and even eight years after its demise still increasing viability among users, the Newton is clearly a success. I am writing this very review on a Newton 2100 built in 1997. A computer that recognizes my handwriting flawlessly and way better than I have ever been able to myself. A PDA whose backlight is so excellent that I once managed to keep my fingers clean while changing my offspring's diapers during a power cut. A hand-held device capable of emitting sounds loud enough to have woken even sleepy Frank this morning when the hotel's wake-up call did not come in time. I need to charge the batteries but twice a month although I use my Newton daily. About 5 minutes from now, using a PCMCIA WLAN card that wasn't even developed at the time the "failure" left Apple's assembly line, my trusty companion will e-mail this review wirelessly from my hotel room.
All in all, I see only one reason not to buy this book: If you have already done so.

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very good

this is a great book. i recomend this book to any mac lover or mac user.

Interesting company, highly interesting book

Most books in this genre (corporate history books) tend to end up as a dissapointment. I don't know if it's because the authors are boring, or the companies they're writing about are.
This book was a delightful surprise and a very interesting read. Apple is an amazing company, but when you read into the details of its story as outlined in this book, it's 10x more amazing.
I am wondering how the author got such an extensive insider's look into the company. Some of the details seem to be from a fly on the wall perspective...
Highly recommended book, and great read, even if you are not specifically interested in Apple or its products.

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Comprehensive, up to date, but dry

The book covers the entire history of Apple in amazing detail, as you would expect. There are chapters covering Wozniak and Jobs that are detailed and up to date. And there are timelines that make it easy to follow the progression of a number of aspects of Apple. This is particularly handy when following the hectic early nineties where Apple was releasing a different set of Macintoshes every couple of months.

However, unlike Cult of Mac, this book is far more dry in style than the company it documents. The point size of the content is almost unreadably small. And the layout is interesting, but not inspired. In particular the timelines which are in almost every chapter are drab.

Downsides aside, if you are a Mac enthusiast and you want to understand the history of the company there is no better source than this.

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nice attention to details

[A review of the 2nd EDITION.]

Apple has always garnered curiosity, as one of the most creative high tech companies in the world. This book tries to assuage that interest, updated to 2004. It covers in detail many aspects of the company's tumultuous history.

Some tidbits are mentioned that other books on Apple often omit. Like how along with Jobs and Wozniak, there was another co-founder, Wayne. But he sold his interest for around $2k, before Apple went public. Linzmayer estimates that had Wayne held his stock, it would have been worth $500 million in 2000. Ah, the what-ifs. He says that Wayne seemed genuinely unmiffed by this. But the reader must surely wonder otherwise. Like the story of the fifth Beatle. The divergent fates of Wayne, Jobs and Wozniak might be seen as a parable of Silicon Valley.

The book describes events up to 2003-2004. Just in time to include a discussion of the smash hit that is the iPod, and of ancillary packages like iTunes. While perhaps these are too recent to be easily evaluated, Linzmayer doesn't shirk from offering a timely analysis.

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