[keekeeree]

So, I just finished reading Apple: The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders by Jim Carlton of The Wall Street Journal. All in all, a very interesting read (for geeks like me. For entertainment, I'd read a paragraph of it to my fiance, then look at her and ask,"So, do want to read it next?" She'd just look at me like ).

I thought I knew quite a bit about Apple, but I learned a lot in reading this book. It puts a lot of things into perspective and makes me all the more appreciative of this wonderful little computer of mine.

The book only covers through early-1997, just after Jobs returns. There's an epilogue written in August 1997 that speculates on the future of Apple post-Amelio (and unbeknownst to Carlton, pre-Jobs as iCEO). I don't want to spoil the book for anyone who wants to read it, but it's lol-funny how Carlton, after writting over 400 pages about Apple, writes in the epilogue what the mainstream press had been saying about Apple for years. Only now, Carlton seems to think that because he's written 400 pages on the subject, he's right this time. Of course, we all know now how the story really ends

So, after reading that, I want more. Does anyone have any recommendations? (I'm reading The Second Coming of Steve Jobs next)

[saddino]

As someone addicted to books on the history of Apple, let me make some suggestions. One thing to keep in mind: every book has a different spin on sometimes the exact same event. It's best to read them all and make your own determination on whether some of the more famous folklore is accurate.

Check out:

Insanely Great by Steven Levy
Infinite Loop by Michael Malone
Apple Confidential by Owen Linzmayer
Revolution in the Valley by Andy Hertzfeld

Other books with cool Apple history:

Dealers of Lightning by Michael Hiltzik (a history of Xerox PARC)
Accidental Empires by Robert Cringely (the classic that spawned the PBS doc and the cable movie -- great read!)

And this site is a must:
Folklore (history of the Macintosh)

[Lateralus]

I've read Apple Confidential, Macintosh: The Naked Truth, and On The Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple.

Macintosh: The Naked Truth is less about Apple and more about being a Mac head. I don't think the book is particularly good, in part because the author is a tech-head basher who claims repeatedly that if you ever open up your Mac, you should own a PC. Particularly offensive to me as I've learned more about hardware since getting a Mac than I knew beforehand.

Nevertheless, the guy is funny, and I got a hearty laugh out of a good bit of the stuff he said.

On The Firing Line is Gil Amelio's account of his tenure at Apple, and an excellent read in my opinion. I had wanted to hear Gil's side of the story, as it seems like so many people are quick to blame him for a number of Apple's problems. I personally didn't ever believe that, thought he was a great CEO, just not the kind we're used to. The book didn't give me that point of view, it only solidified it.

But with all things, you can take two points of view on a subject and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. So if you read the book, mix in with an equal amount of negative Amelio opinion, and you'll have a pretty decent account of what actually happened. Or, at least, a better account than you would have had had you only listened to the Amelio bashers.

And yeah, Apple Confidential is a great all around read for any Mac head. Not too in depth, so it's really easy to blow through it and retain most of it as you read along. I especially like the interesting facts and quotes lining each page.