{"id":500,"date":"2019-03-07T13:35:56","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T13:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greatideasgreatlife.com\/?p=500"},"modified":"2019-07-02T04:24:50","modified_gmt":"2019-07-02T04:24:50","slug":"steve-jobs-by-walter-issacson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatideasgreatlife.com\/blog\/steve-jobs-by-walter-issacson\/","title":{"rendered":"STEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISSACSON"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Walter Isaacson only agreed to\nwrite Steve Jobs\u2019 biography when he learned that Jobs was already dying of\ncancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first time the innovator\nmentioned his biography to the writer, Isaacson had just successfully released\nhis book on Benjamin Franklin and was working on another about Albert Einstein.\nIsaacson declined saying that it\u2019s too early as Jobs was still on the peak of\nhis career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was Jobs\u2019 wife Laurene Powell\nwho finally changed Isaacson\u2019s mind and informed him of the Apple CEO\u2019s\nsickness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Childhood<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Steve Jobs knew at an early age\nthat he was adopted. His father Paul Jobs and mother Clara Hagopian never hid\nit from him. They took care of Steve right after his birth. Colleagues have\nremarked that this made Steve independent and strong of character. His first\nhero is his father who was a car mechanic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steve\u2019s parents always told him\nthat he is special. As a child, he discovered his intelligence in electronics\nthough he was a delinquent in school. Classes often bore him and he would often\nengage in pranks with the help of his talents. This continued on from grade\nschool to college. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wozniak<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Steve Wozniak met Steve Jobs\nthrough a common friend in Homestead High. Both Steves showed talents in\nelectronics and machines even as children. While Jobs was influenced by his\nfather to be a businessman, Woz\u2019 dad despised marketing and encouraged him to excel\non engineering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apple\nI<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wozniak and Jobs had been into\nvarious small business ventures here and there. But as Wozniak was just willing\nto give away his designs, Jobs wanted to have his own unique independent\nproduct and make good money out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time, Woz was working for HP.\nHe tried to pitch his circuit board there first. After being rejected for\nrawness, Woz committed his designs 100% to Apple. Jobs thought that their\nteam-up worked because they are opposites. While Woz is very talented but socially\nawkward, Jobs is good with people. He is known to communicate to anyone and\nmanipulate them to get what he wants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their first client is a computer\nstore owner named Paul Terell. He ordered 50 circuit boards for $500 per piece.\nAfter convincing the manager of Cramer Electronics to lend them $25,000, Jobs\ntogether with Woz, his sister Patty, ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Holmes and friend\nDaniel Kottke, began to work. Thus, the birth of Apple happened in the garage\nof the Jobs residence in Los Altos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lisa<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For 5 years, Jobs was in an on and\noff relationship with Chrisann Brennan. With the successful run of Apple, Jobs\nmoved out of his parents\u2019 house and rented a $600 ranch house in Cupertino.\nSoon, Brennan reunited with Jobs, moved in and got pregnant. They were both 23\nyears old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs was detached though and focused\nwith the company. He and Brennan would often argue. Marriage was never\ndiscussed and Jobs denied that he was the father. Nevertheless, with the help\nof friends, Brennan gave birth to Lisa Nicole in Oregon on May 17, 1978. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mother and child moved to a tiny\nhome in Menlo Park and lived on welfare. When Lisa was one year old, Jobs\nunderwent the fairly new DNA testing and resulted 94.41%. The California court ordered\nhim to give monthly child supportand sign admission of his paternity. Jobs was\ngranted visitation rights though he didn\u2019t use them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1981<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
From selling 2,500 units in 1977,\nApple\u2019s sales rose to 210,000 by 1981. However, Jobs knew that this success\nwouldn\u2019t last forever. He thought of a new product which is much better than\nApple II. He also wanted a design that he could completely call his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though he denied the connection at\nthe time, Jobs named the new computer Lisa. The engineers had to come up with\nan acronym to go with his daughter\u2019s name. Lisa stands for Local Integrated\nSystems Architecture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In exchange for 100,000 shares in\nApple, Xerox PARC agreed to share its latest technology to Jobs and his\nprogrammers. After several visits, the Apple engineers were able to pirate the\nmouse design and interface of Xerox computers. The Lisa was released with a\nbetter than ever graphics and smooth-scrolling mouse features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Macintosh<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Jobs was actually kicked out of the\nLisa project because of his disruptive behaviour. Meanwhile, there was an Apple\nengineer by the name of Jef Raskin who was developing a cheap computer that any\nfamily can afford. Raskin called his project Macintosh after his favourite kind\nof apple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, since he lost Lisa, Jobs\nhad his eye on Raskin\u2019s project. The vision of Raskin was to make a compact\ncomputer with screen and keyboard at only $1,000 each. Jobs told him to just\ncreate the Macintosh and not think of the cost. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, Raskin lost Macintosh.\nJobs was able to find an engineer to make the device work on a more expensive\nbut smarter microprocessor. Mac came out with even better mouse and graphic\ninterface than Lisa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After countless proposals and\nrevisions, Jobs made the whole design team sign on a piece of paper. He made\nall 50 signatures engraved inside every single Macintosh. They celebrated the\ncompleted design of Mac with a toast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resignation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When Jobs lost the Lisa project, he\nwas also made a non-executive member of the board. Though he owns 11% of Apple\nshares, he lost most of his power. In 1985, he expressed his desire to build a\nnew company to the president John Scully. Jobs said it would be a separate\ncompany from Apple but would not become a competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs named his new company NeXT. He\nasked Scully if he could recruit 5 low-level employees with him to transfer to\nNeXT. But when Scully got the names, he became upset with Jobs as they were definitely\nnot low-level. The board membersthought that Jobs is being disloyal to the\ncompany and breaching his duty as chairman. They were prepared to declare war\nagainst Jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
News\nabout Jobs being kicked out as Chairman spread on media. He already offered to\nresign when he expressed his intentions with NeXT. Finally, he mailed his\nresignation letter to the executive Mike Markkula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of Jobs\u2019 resignation letter read, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSubsequently the Company appears to be adopting a hostile posture toward me and the new venture…As you know, the company\u2019s recent reorganization left me with no work to do and no access even to regular management reports. I am 30 but want still to contribute and achieve.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Mona\nand Lisa<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Since the 1980s, Jobs secretly\nhired detectives to find his biological parents. Eventually, he was able to\ntrack his mother Joanne Schieble in Los Angeles. Joanne got separated with his\nbiological father AbdulfattahJandali who is Syrian. She never had a successful\nmarriage but she told Jobs that he has a half-sister named Mona Simpsons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs met Mona in New York. He was\nthrilled to find out that she is a novelist. He became very close with Mona as\nthey are both passionate about art. Jobs went to support Mona in her book\nrelease. They adored each other and became very good friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Chrisann Brennan and\nLisa lived in a house which Jobs bought for them. He started to visit them\noccasionally when Lisa was three. Jobs said, \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be a father, so\nI wasn\u2019t.\u201d When Lisa was eight, Jobs\u2019 visits became more frequent. He found out\nthat Lisa was very smart at school and also very artistic. She is also\nhigh-spirited and looked a bit like him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One day, Jobs decided to bring Lisa\nto Apple to the surprise of his colleagues. Sometimes, he would pick her up and\nthere was one time that he brought Lisa to a business trip in Tokyo. However,\nthere are still times that Jobs is very cold. Over the years, their\nfather-daughter relationship was a roller-coaster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
iMac and Apple Stores<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In 1998, Jobs reinvented Macintosh\nwith the iMac. Again, it was an all-in-one computer with monitor and keyboard.\niMac was targeted for homes and ready to use. Jobs took product launching into\na new kind of theatre with Macintosh. He did it again for iMac. With the price\nof $1,299, iMac became the fastest selling product of Apple ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was no single tech store in\nthe mall or any main streets in 1999. Jobs thought that \u201cyou can\u2019t win on\ninnovation unless you have a way to communicate with the customers.\u201d He came up\nwith the idea of Apple retail stores. A colleague asked him one day, \u201cIs Apple\nas big of a brand as Gap?\u201d Jobs answered Apple is even bigger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first Apple store ever was opened\nin Virginia on May 2001. With white counters\nand wood floors, it is a venue for all Apple products. By 2004, Apple stores have set a record on\nretail industry with $1.2 billion. The Fifth Avenue store opened in Manhattan\nyear 2006. It has Jobs\u2019 trademark of minimalist design from glass, cube to\nstaircase. By 2011, there are already 326 Apple stores all over the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cancer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It was October 2003 when Steve Jobs\nfound out that he has cancer. He just wanted to get his CAT scans because of\nhis kidney stone history. However, his doctors found out that he has a tumor in\nhis pancreas. After doing a biopsy on Jobs, they found out that the tumor can\nbe removed to avoid spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs, however, was very intent on\nnot having the surgery. Instead, he continued on his vegan diet and underwent\nacupuncture. Though his wife and friends were repeatedly convincing him, it\ntook him 9 months to realize that he really needed the operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In July 2004, Jobs took another CAT\nscan and found out that the tumor grew. He then went on with the surgery to\nhave part of his pancreas removed. Though he wanted to come back to work by\nSeptember, unfortunately, the cancer spread. Jobs began to have his\nchemotherapy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When he was invited in Stanford for\nits commencement exercises, Jobs announced that his cancer was cured. In 2005,\nhis wife held a surprise birthday party for him. He celebrated his 50th<\/sup>\nbirthday with his family, close friends and colleagues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cancer Recurs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Jobs cancer got worse in 2008.\nAside from the pain he is enduring, he is being burdened by his eating\ndisorders. Jobs has been doing extreme diets and fasts since he was a teenager.\nEven as he battles cancer, he was very picky with what he eats. Jobs lost 40\npounds that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When he presented iPhone 3G, the\nmedia was more interested in his weight lost. The price of Apple stock\ndecreased significantly within a month. Jobs finally agreed to be on medical\nleave by January 2009. Two months after, he underwent liver transplant. His\ndoctors got worried though as they saw tumors in his liver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, arrangements have been\nmade in Apple\u2019s management during Jobs\u2019 leave. The stock price eventually\nrecovered. On a conference call, operations manager Tim Cook said, \u201cWe believe\nthat we are on the face of the earth to make great products, and that\u2019s not\nchanging. We are constantly focusing on innovating\u2026regardless of who is in what\njob, those values are so embedded in this company that Apple will do extremely\nwell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs remained relentless though. He\nstill has fight in him. By 2010, he recovered and went back to Apple. Cancer\ndid not stop him from developing iPad, iPad 2 and iCloud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Steve Jobs can be intense. He saw\nhis colleagues either as heroes or shitheads. As for competitors, either they\ncompletely suck or did absolutely perfect. He was also brutally honest. To his\nemployees, Jobs always says what they need to hear without filter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs can be controlling. He wanted\nMac operating system to be exclusive to Apple. Though he lost profit to\nMicrosoft, Jobs was more focused on improving the products. He wants control\nfrom product design to customer experience. He always aims for perfection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of giving consumers what\nthey want, Jobs predicted what the market needs before everyone else. He led\nApple to innovation. As the company motto goes, \u201cThink different.\u201d Steve Jobs\nmay be crazy at times but he made himself one of the best innovators of the\ndigital age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs thought that the reason\ncompanies decline is because after coming up with a great product, they become\nmore focused on profit. He said real companies last because they stand for\nsomething. That\u2019s what he wants for Apple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For three decades, Jobs kept\nmoving. He created all-in-one and ready to use personal computers with Apple II\nand Macintosh. He transformed the art of animation with Pixar. iTunes and iPod\nsaved the music industry from piracy. The iPhone and iPad rolled business and\nentertainment in one portable device. The iCloud made possible data syncing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world may have lost Steve Jobs\nbut his legacy remains. Apple and Pixar continue to\ncombine technology and art. One of the lessons that can be learned from Jobs\u2019\nbiography is to keep moving, keep improving and good returns will come back\nnaturally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Walter Isaacson only agreed to write Steve Jobs\u2019 biography when he learned that Jobs was already dying of cancer. The first time the innovator mentioned his biography to the writer, Isaacson had just successfully released his book on Benjamin Franklin and was working on another about Albert Einstein. Isaacson declined saying that it\u2019s too early as Jobs was still on the peak of his career. It was Jobs\u2019 wife Laurene Powell who finally changed Isaacson\u2019s mind and informed him of…<\/p>\n
![\"Steve\"](\"http:\/\/www.greatideasgreatlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/STEVE-1.jpg\")
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