Journalist Owen Linzmayer explores Apple's tumultuous history, from its legendary founding, through a series of disastrous executive decisions, to its recent return to profitability. Backed by exhaustive research, the book debunks many of the myths and half-truths surrounding Apple, the Macintosh, and its creators. Linzmayer looks into secret archives, interviews key players, and tells the real stories behind the hype.
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Owen Linzmayer's Apple Confidential is subtitled The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc., and while nobody will ever know the complete, "real" story about Apple, Linzmayer's is probably as close as they come. Having covered Apple news since 1980, he offers extensive insider details about Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Gilbert Amelio, Bill Gates, and other major players whose lives were (and are) intertwined with Apple's history. And along the way, we also learn about lesser-known figures whose stories have remained hidden in the Apple myth: Ronald Gerald Wayne, for example, who was actually a partner with Wozniak and Jobs in the original incarnation of the company, but who sold his share when he realized he would be financially vulnerable if it should fail.
Linzmayer's tale does have a few drawbacks. Because he mixes a chronological narrative with chapters that focus on key points in the Apple story, he sometimes repeats himself. Case in point: the chapter "Big Bad Blunders" makes a great record of Apple's failures, but the story of the exploding Powerbook 5300s is duplicated at later points. Nonetheless, Apple Confidential is rife with gems that will appeal to Apple fanatics and followers of the computer industry. Especially enjoyable are the revelation of "Easter eggs" that are hidden in several versions of the Mac operating system; the many screen shots, timelines, and telling quotes from Jobs, Gates, Wozniak and others that populate the margins and concluding sections of each chapter; the "Code Names Uncovered" section that makes public the monikers of several secret Apple projects; and Bill Gates's 1985 letter to John Sculley and Jean Louis Gassee pleading for Apple to license Mac technology and develop a "standard personal computer." --Patrick O'Kelley
From Library Journal
For your Mac community, you can't go wrong with these titles. Linzmayer's Apple Confidential is an unofficial history of Apple and a great read. Pogue's MacWorld Mac Secrets explains all the oddities about any Mac still in use, while his iMac guide follows the format of the "Dummies" series. Poole's MacWorld Mac OS 8.5 Bible completely explains Mac 8.5, the newest operating system upgrade.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
232 of 234 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Of all the books written on Apple's history, this one comes closest to accurately relating the story of how the Mac was created, and other early Apple events.
I can't personally vouch for Linzmeyer's discussion of more recent history, because I left Apple a while ago, but having seen the results of his careful research where I personally took part in the events, and having seen the massive inaccuracies in many other books, I'd bet on his.
Some other books are more exciting reads, but that's because they're partially fiction. Linzmeyer has done his homework. But don't get the impression that this book is dull; it's fun, with many interesting tidbits and historical photographs.
This is the book to read if you are interested in fact rather than legend.
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book combines gossip, history, trivia and the legends & lore of one of America's most fascinating companies. The story starts with the two Steves making and selling boxes to confuse the phone system into granting free calls. It chronicals the development of Apple computer from the first Apple through the Lisa, endless varities of Macintosh and today's iPod. Throughout the story, the massive ups and collosal failures of this American instution are laid bare.
The layout is interesting as well. As characters are introduced, the reader frequently wonders "What happened to them?" More often than not, the question is answered in a sidebar. This showed that Apple wasn't just a great product developer, but also a great developer of silicon valley talent.
The book details the extremes of the players personalities:
- How Jobs agreet to split the proceeds of an Atari deal with Woz, only to keep 90% of the income himself.
- How Woz forced the company to go public early by sharing his stock with too many employees.
- How Gasse talked folks out of liscencing the technology until it was too late.
- How several successive CEOs tried in vain to save the company.
The book also details some lesser known stories from Apple's storied past:
- How the 1984 commercial almost never made it.
- How the company decided to abandon Copland. (& Why!)
- How the company got sued by Carl Sagan, and how they dug their ditch a little deeper.
There's a lot of "Hows" here, which really shows how deep the author gets into the company's history and soul. You come away with not just a knowledge of the people, but their personalities and why exactly things turned out the way they did.
This book is excellent reading for anyone interested in the world of technology, and an absolute must for fans of Apple.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a must-have book for any fan of Apple. It's possibly the most thorough - yet still readable - history of the company. It mixes business facts, behind-the-scenes secrets, and pop culture tidbits beautifully. Along the way, you'll learn the ins and outs of other computer companies (Microsoft, IBM, AOL, NeXT, Power Computing, Xerox PARC, etc) and a lot about the history of the industry in general and the players in particular.
Linzmayer is the author of "The Mac Bathroom Reader," and knows what he's talking about. Not only does "Apple Confindential" add more history that wasn't in that volume, but it's redesigned, updated to this year, and includes Steve Jobs' return and the iMac success.
In a word, breathtaking: It has quotes from everyone involved, timelines, products lists, a history, a little opinion, analysis, stock info, classic pictures. It's all here.
I'd write more, but I'm going to read it again. And I now know what to give other Apple fans for gifts.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
It stinks
Poorly written and printed with extremely small type requiring use of a magnifier glass to see the type. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mot
Written by an amateur
Let me start with the worst problem with this book: It is not in chronological order! That is all most people need to know about a book that tells a detailed, fairly complex... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Douglas Carey
Great Book, Wonderful Author ~ Matt Leong
I originally bought this book when I started a research report at school on Apple Inc. The book seemed like the encyclopedia of Apple and I purchased it as a research tool. Read more
Published on March 11, 2010 by Matt Leong
THE Book on Apple's History
This is a wonderful history of Apple, Steve "I am God on Earth" Jobs, and Steve "the Woz" Wozniak. The author is no fanboy but also has no axe to grind. Read more
Published on February 28, 2010 by Kevin C. Rohrer
details, details, details,
Very complete and detailed. Actually it's great for a reference piece, but it told me WAY more than I wanted to know.
Published on December 5, 2009 by Winston Churchill
Easy and fun to read
This book is really very exhaustive of the twists and turns in Apple's long path of innovations and of course failures. Read more
Published on October 1, 2009 by A. Pavlidis
Interesting reading.
I can say I really enjoyed reading this book, but even buying the 2.0 version, the final part of the book isn't up to date. Read more
Published on September 12, 2009 by Osvaldo Fernandez
Great History of Apple
This is a great book that talks about the History of Apple Computer. I couldn't put it down and it was fun walk down memory lane of Apple computers and tech history.
Published on June 23, 2008 by Paul Scott
Great reading
This book contains all the informations a mac lover like me need to know to understand how the Apple has born. This is a very nice reading for me, I've readed it in few days. Read more
Published on December 11, 2007 by Luca Bedini
Not too bad.
Don't just buy the book because you love Apple or the review is good. Go to local book store and see the book yourself first before buy one.
Published on August 23, 2007 by Anonymous
Book Extras from Other Websites
This content may contain spoilers
Introduction (From Wikipedia)
Apple Confidential is a softback book documenting the history of Apple Computer, written by Owen Linzmayer. It was first published in 1999 by No Starch Press. In 2004 it was revised as Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company.
Attribution: The information appearing above in this tab is from Wikipedia:
Apple Confidential. Amazon is not affiliated with, and neither endorses, nor is endorsed by Wikipedia or any of the authors who contributed to this article. The Wikipedia content may be available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, version 3.0 or any later version, available at: CC BY-SA. Additional or other terms may apply. See Wikipedia Terms of Use for details.
See a problem with this content? Let us know
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
Thanks to a never-ending campaign by Apple's powerful public relations machine to protect the myths surrounding the company's origin, almost everyone believes that Apple was started in a garage by "the two Steves," Stephen Gary Wozniak, 25, and Steven Paul Jobs 21. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
clone makers, quarterly loss Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Power Mac, John Sculley, Power Computing, San Francisco, Steve Wozniak, Star Trek, Jean-Louis Gassée, Apple Computer, Bill Gates, Mike Markkula, Mac Portable, Macworld Expo, New York, Gil Amelio, Jef Raskin, National Semiconductor, Workgroup Server, Big Blue, Silicon Valley, Apple Ile, Super Bowl, Michael Spindler, Newton Inc, Alan Kay, Palo Alto New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Thanks to a never-ending campaign by Apple's powerful public relations machine to protect the myths surrounding the company's origin, almost everyone believes that Apple was started in a garage by "the two Steves," Stephen Gary Wozniak, 25, and Steven Paul Jobs 21. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
clone makers, quarterly loss Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Power Mac, John Sculley, Power Computing, San Francisco, Steve Wozniak, Star Trek, Jean-Louis Gassée, Apple Computer, Bill Gates, Mike Markkula, Mac Portable, Macworld Expo, New York, Gil Amelio, Jef Raskin, National Semiconductor, Workgroup Server, Big Blue, Silicon Valley, Apple Ile, Super Bowl, Michael Spindler, Newton Inc, Alan Kay, Palo Alto New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 32
books:
See all 32 books this book cites
17
books
cite this book:
See all 17 books citing this book
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison on page 148, and page 213
- Toy Story: A Read-Aloud Storybook by RH Disney on page 174, and page 175
- Sun Microsystems by Vault Reports on page 161, and page 214
- Toy Story by Walt Disney on page 174, and page 175
- International Business by Justin Paul on page 170, and page 211
See all 32 books this book cites
- Revival of the Fittest: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Managers Remake Them by Donald N. Sull in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Exploring Innovation by David Smith on page 179, and page 228
- Why Good Companies Go Bad And How Great Managers Remake Them by Donald N. Sull in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Dream Merchants and Howboys: Mavericks, Nutters and the Road to Business Success by Barry J. Gibbons on page 170, and Back Matter
- Product Strategy for High Technology Companies by Michael McGrath on page 67, and page 87
See all 17 books citing this book
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > Business & Investing > Biography & History > Company Profiles
- Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Computers & Technology
- Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Information Management
- Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Culture > History
- Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Culture > Manager's Guides to Computing
- Books > Computers & Technology > Hardware > Macs
