I just finished the first of my Winter reading, iCon Steve Jobs by Jeffrey Young & William Simon. It is a very quick read that moves through the legendary story of Apple’s rise to prominence. Most of the book is nothing that you probably couldn’t have got from various magazine clips, newspaper articles, Internet, etc. The authors put some structure to most of the things I have already heard about Apple and Jobs. Though a bit on the gossipy side, it still has plenty of interesting anecdotes. I did find it quite annoying that dates in which events took place weren’t clearly communicated. I would often thumb back several pages to figure out what year something happened.

It was amazing to see what Steve Jobs was able to get away with back in the 80s. I have certainly heard about his temperamental nature, but several of the stories in the book are more than eye popping. As brilliant a marketer and product visionary this guy is, I have never and will never understand the charisma factor. I have thought of Jobs as brilliant but not charismatic. Apparently he has an innate power to make people, ‘drink the Kool-Aid’. That point was reiterated time and time again within book.

This book is definitely not for those who want to gain insight into Apple’s business practices or corporate strategy. The book is essentially a story about the people inside Apple and Steve Jobs in particular. If you are a an Apple, Steve Jobs, or a technology fan, give it a read.