I, Steve: Steve Jobs In His Own Words (In Their Own Words) [Paperback]

George Beahm (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2011 | Series: In Their Own Words

Drawn from more than three decades of media coverage—print, electronic, and online—this tribute serves up the best, most thought-provoking insights ever spoken by Steve Jobs: more than 200 quotations that are essential reading for everyone who seeks innovative solutions and inspirations applicable to their business, regardless of size.

Jobs, who passed away on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56, co-founded Apple in 1976. He stepped down from that role in August 2011, bringing an end to one of the greatest, most transformative business careers in history. Over the years, Jobs gave countless interviews to the media, explaining what he called “the vision thing”—his unmatched ability to envision, and successfully bring to the marketplace, consumer products that people find simply irresistible.

Jobs made an indelible mark in multiple industries, and played an enormous role in creating others. Consider how Jobs and Apple shaped the following fields: personal computers (laptop and desktop), apps (for multiple electronic devices), computer animation (Pixar), music (iTunes), telecommunications (iPhone), personal digital devices (iPod), books (iBook), and, most recently, tablets (iPad). Jobs was the greatest business visionary of our era.

I, Steve is the perfect gift or reference item for everyone interested in this great American original.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's the same treatment given such luminaries as Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Christopher Hitchens and offers Jobs's views on life, death, technology and design, among other topics." —Timothy R. Smith, Washington Post

"A new book revealing many of Steve Jobs' most illuminating quotes..." —Lance Whitney, CNET

"Steve Jobs, whose resume twice cites 'the vision thing,' has given us some truly memorable quotes." —FoxNews.com

"A 160-page collection of quotes from the most iconic product pitchman since P.T. Barnum." —Ben Popper, The New York Observer BetaBeat blog

"A much better Jobs product is coming soon. It’ll entertain you for hours, and no — it is not a Jobs-branded iPad or anything similarly high-tech. It is, friends, an old-fashioned book!" —Hillary Reinsberg, Mogulite

"Inspirational reading pleasure." —Courtney Boyd Myers, The Next Web

"The kind of book that you read, think about, and then pass on to a friend or colleague...I learned a lot about Jobs’ thinking process." —Allen Stern, CenterNetworks

"A short work to be dipped into for nuggets of business (or law firm) wisdom..." —Michael Roach, Law Technology News

"Steve Jobs, who brought the world the iPhone, the iPad, the iPod and so much more, has left a rich history, both of technological innovations and of thoughts about what people want from them. Perhaps it's inevitable that a book about him would be titled I, Steve." —Ned Potter, ABCNews.com


PRAISE FOR STEVE JOBS:

"Rarely has a major company and industry been so dominated by a single individual, and so successful. His influence went far beyond the iconic personal computers that were Apple’s principal product for its first 20 years. In the last decade, Apple has redefined the music business through the iPod, the cellphone business through the iPhone and the entertainment and media world through the iPad. Again and again, Mr. Jobs gambled that he knew what the customer would want, and again and again he was right." —The New York Times

"CEO of the decade." —Fortune magazine

"The world's best-performing CEO." —Harvard Business Review

"Person of the Decade." —The Wall Street Journal

About the Author

George Beahm is the author or editor of more than 25 books, many of them companion volumes about well-known writers and public figures. He lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Agate B2 (October 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781932841664
• ISBN-13: 978-1932841664
• ASIN: 1932841660
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 0.6 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Management > Biographies
  • #17 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Business
  • #27 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Computers & Technology

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 90 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential guiding principles for business October 22, 2011

By David Begler

Format:Paperback

Full disclosure, I know the publisher of this book. I also worked at Apple for nearly a decade, creating marketing for Mac computers, and I can tell you that the quotes in "I, Steve" encapsulate everything I learned while I was there: Paying attention to little details (because they matter). Relentless simplification. Knowing what to say 'no' to. These principles can apply to many aspects of business and reading them in Steve's words are an excellent reminder that we don't have to settle for mediocrity. This is not a biography, nor is it an exploitation of the man's death, as this book has been scheduled for publication for many months now. This book is an essential tool for how to think about the problems you wrestle with at work. Bring a copy to your office. Start off every meeting reading a random quote. See what happens.

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, fun trip through one of the greatest minds of our time. October 20, 2011

By Kevin Quigley

Format:Paperback

What a fun and interesting book about Steve Jobs, a more breezy counterpoint to the official biography. I, Steve starts with a light biography and highlights "Milestones," a year-by-year look at Apple's (and Jobs's) successes. The real meat of the book is in the quotes from Jobs on every conceivable topic, sort of a Bartlett's Quotations focusing exclusively on this amazing man.

Steve Jobs once said that most overnight successes take a long time. I, Steve feels meticulously researched and well put-together. At once educational and inspiration, I, Steve is perfect for both MacAddicts and anyone looking to exceed.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A concise and respectful homage to Steve Jobs October 22, 2011

By Jan S. Strnad

Format:Kindle Edition

There's a certain irony in writing a review of the Kindle edition of "I, Steve" given Jobs' dismissive attitude toward the Kindle and dedicated e-book readers in general, summed up in his famous quote, not contained in this compilation, that "people don't read." Anyone reading "I, Steve" on a Kindle will take some amusement, or possibly some umbrage, at the quotes herein along the lines that dedicated devices "may have a few advantages" but that "general-purpose devices will win the day." He may be right, ultimately, and of course, there will be those readers who will read the book on their iPads, but the irony is still there for a few million Kindle users.

"I, Steve" is a very nice compilation of Jobs quotes gleaned from a variety of public sources. It's a quick read that includes a concise timeline of Jobs' life. Apple enthusiasts may consider it an appetizer for the official Jobs biography, but for many others, like myself, it's a fine distillation of Jobs' philosophy and the timeline is a concise, welcome addition that hits the high points and helps to put Jobs' quotations in context.

As a dramatist myself, I think I would have preferred to read the quotes in the order in which they were delivered, to perhaps get a better sense of Jobs' development over the years. The author and his publisher opted instead to group them by subject, which makes any individual quote easier to reference.

Beahm is obviously a great fan of Jobs and Apple, which gives "I, Steve" the tone of an homage to a great man whose influence has been so widely felt by the public. Apple enthusiasts will find the book very edifying and well worth the modest Kindle price. General readers whose interest has been sparked by Jobs' death will also find it a quick and easy summation of just why this particular man and his contributions are held in such high esteem by several generations of technology users. Hopefully, some technology creators will take Jobs' philosophy to heart, and his contributions will outlive the man who set the standard for the integration of technology with human life.