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Steve Jobs bio debuts atop Amazon, Barnes & Nobles best-seller list
Steve Jobs's biography debuted ahead of schedule this week and skyrocketed to the top of the charts at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Exact sales numbers are not available, but the biography is the top seller on Amazon's Kindle, hardcover and audiobook bestseller lists. It also tops the charts on Barnes and Noble's hardcover, Nook and audiobook lists. The biography, written by former Times editor Walter Isaacson, was originally scheduled for a March 2012 launch. That date was pushed up to November 21, 2011 over the summer. The biography unexpectedly became available on Sunday via the Amazon Kindle Store and Apple's iBookstore, while the hardcover version went on sale in stores and online starting yesterday. Now that it is officially in the hands of Apple fans worldwide, details of the book are now being publicly released. The juiciest tidbit to come from the biography is the suggestion that Jobs and Apple were possibly working on an Apple-branded television set. The book also details Jobs's dislike of Android and his vow to go nuclear in his fight against the competing platform.
Jobs bio fosters resurgence in Apple-branded TV rumors
The Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs has just been officially released and now everyone from TUAW readers to Wall Street analyst Gene Munster is reading between the lines to see what Apple's "next big thing" will be. The biggest rumor? That Apple will be coming out with a branded HDTV that will revolutionize the television-watching experience. A lot of us don't expect this to happen -- in a recent TUAW poll, about 57% of readers thought it was unlikely that Apple would every make a TV. But based on a statement in the biography, Munster is even more convinced that Apple is going that way -- and he's even starting to forecast revenues for an Apple HDTV line. Munster has been "certain" of an Apple-branded TV since 2009, and according to Apple 2.0's Philip Elmer-Dewitt, he keyed on a particular section of the book where Jobs said "I'd like to create an integrated television set. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud... It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it." Munster thinks that the "code" that Jobs "cracked" is combining live TV with shows that were previously captured and stored on iCloud. The Piper-Jaffray analyst also believes that Apple could add Siri support "to bolster its TV offering and simplify the chore of inputting information like show titles, or actor names, into a TV." There are a number of meetings with suppliers and patent filings (including the one noted by Patently Apple in the screenshot above) that Munster cites as more evidence of an upcoming Apple TV. He goes on to show that the device, if released in 2012, could add as much as US$6 billion to Apple's bottom line in calendar year 2014.
Steve Jobs biography released early for Kindle, iBookstore (updated)
Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs has been released a couple hours early on the Kindle Store, and its release in the US iBookstore is expected at midnight. The US iBookstore is still showing the book as available for pre-order as of this writing, but it should be available for download within the next couple of hours. Multiple details of the biography have leaked out over the past week via multiple media outlets, and a 60 Minutes interview with Walter Isaacson provided some fascinating insights into both the biography itself and the man who was its subject. Along with many other members of the Apple-loving world, I am very much looking forward to reading it, and I will have a review of the work up on TUAW as soon as I've finished reading it. Look for that review later on in the week -- with a print length of 656 pages, it might take me a day or two to read through the whole book. Thanks to the readers who tipped us! Update: The biography went live on the iBookstore an hour earlier than expected, so it's now available.
Steve "finally cracked" the TV puzzle, says bio
We're seeing an unending stream of tidbits from the new biography of Steve Jobs to be released tomorrow. Author Walter Isaacson, who interviewed Jobs extensively has this interesting passage as quoted by Razorianfly: "He very much wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones: make them simple and elegant." "'I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,' he told me. 'It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.' No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. 'It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.'" This will add to rampant speculation about Apple pursuing something beyond the Apple TV, which Jobs always referred to as a 'hobby'. I hope Apple moves ahead with it. I can't think of another consumer electronics device that would benefit more from an Apple upgrade. As it is today, handling a DVR, searching for shows and dealing with a TV program guide in any way is a method that could have been designed by the architects of the Spanish Inquisition. I've had both Comcast and DirecTV, and it's no fun interacting with either. There have been some iPad and iPhone apps that ease the pain a little, largely because you get a keyboard instead of 'cursor hell' when trying to enter text, but so much more could be done. Think about what Apple brought to the whole experience of using a cellphone. Come on Apple, we've suffered enough.
Steve Jobs vowed to "destroy Android" according to biography
Steve Jobs doesn't like Android and considers the mobile OS to be Apple's main competitor. It was apparent in the Q4 2010 earnings conference call when he discussed the mobile operating system and berated competitor's adoption of the 7-inch tablet. And this same hostility is very apparent in his biography. According to the Associated Press, which got an early look at Walter Isaacson's upcoming biography, Jobs reportedly said this about Android, I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this. This hostile statement was a response to the introduction of an HTC handset in January 2010 that was similar to the iPhone; too similar for Jobs's liking. The Apple CEO reportedly met with Eric Schmidt to discuss what he called "grand theft." Jobs told Schmidt he wouldn't accept any settlement, even if it was US$5 billion, and ordered the Google chief to stop copying the iPhone. This excerpt sheds some light on that mysterious cafe meeting between Job and Schmidt that captivated the Internet for a short time last year. It also explains Apple's fierce legal battle against Android handset makers including Motorola, HTC and Samsung. [Via Macrumors]
Steve Jobs was initially opposed to apps, new biography reveals
Walter Isaacson's new book on late Apple CEO Steve Jobs has yet to be released, but the Huffington Post recently obtained an advanced copy of the authorized biography, and highlighted some of its most salient revelations. Throughout the course of the 656-page book, Isaacson provides fascinating and often intimate insight into Jobs' life and times, including details on his childhood, his Bob Dylan-drenched iPod and, perhaps most notably, his curious philosophy on apps. Strange as it may seem, Jobs was initially opposed to the very concept of an app-based environment, for fear that his company may not be up to the task. According to Isaacson, Apple board member Art Levinson called the CEO "half a dozen times to lobby for the potential of the apps," but Jobs was initially reluctant. "Jobs at first quashed the discussion," Isaacson writes, "partly because he felt his team did not have the bandwidth to figure out all the complexities that would be involved in policing third-party app developers." Needless to say, Jobs and his team eventually figured it out. Walter Isaacson's book, "Steve Jobs," will be released on October 24th, but you can pre-order it from Amazon, at the link below.
Fortune to publish first excerpt from Isaacson's biography of Jobs
On Monday, the scheduled release date for Steve Jobs: A Biography, Fortune Magazine will publish an exclusive excerpt from Walter Isaacson's highly anticipated biography of Steve Jobs. The sections to appear will focus on Steve's working relationship with the former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates, which spanned nearly three decades. As stated by CNN Money, "...the co-founder of Apple and the co-founder of Microsoft were the twin pillars of personal computing -- at times fierce competitors, at times key allies." Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs will be available on the same day, October 24, 2011. Previously the release date was set for November 21, and before that March 6, 2012. According to publisher Simon & Shuster, "...the book is based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years, as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues."
Daily Update for October 10, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Jobs reportedly authorized bio so his kids can know him better
In an essay for Time magazine's October 17th issue, Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson says the reason Jobs agreed to a biography was because he wanted his kids to know him better. "I wanted my kids to know me. I wasn't always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did," Jobs told Isaacson at their final meeting, which he said was "a few weeks ago." Walter Isaacson's biography of the notoriously private Jobs, simply titled Steve Jobs, has been moved up to an October 24th publishing date. Before the move, the biography was set to be published on November 21, which was another publishing date change from its original March 6, 2012 date. After Jobs's death on October 5th, the 656-page biography shot up Amazon's book sales charts and currently holds the #1 (hardcover) and #2 (Kindle) spots on the site.
Steve Jobs biography updated to included resignation details
The official Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson is reportedly being updated to include details on Steve's resignation. According to Simon & Schuster, the update will not affect publication deadlines, and the book is still scheduled to hit shelves on November 21. A Simon & Schuster spokeswoman told PCMag that Isaacson speaks with Jobs regularly, and the two are currently collaborating on the final chapter. This will be the first authorized biography of Jobs to be published. Its title and release date have changed several times. Most recently, the release was moved from March 6, 2012 to the current November 21. Pre-orders have begun on Amazon. I've placed mine.
Steve Jobs biography gets new title: 'Steve Jobs'
"iSteve: The Book of Jobs" was the title originally ascribed to the very first authorized biography of Apple's head honcho, written and put together by Walter Isaacson. But according to CNNMoney, the title has changed. While the book's Amazon page now lists the title as the much more tame, "Steve Jobs: A Biography," apparently it's even simpler than that. The book, which comes out next March, will just be called "Steve Jobs." Makes sense, but where's the verve and vim? It could be the publisher wanted something a little more official-sounding, especially since there's another popular biography that already uses the "i-" prefix in a witty way. Plus, they may have wanted a title that really plays on the "authorized" part; since this is the first book to cover Jobs with his approval, putting his name front and center will help do just that. Either way, at least you know what to look for when the book hits the shelves. It may seem a ways off, but the title is already sneaking into Amazon's best-seller lists, so it'll probably be plenty big.
Official Steve Jobs biography now available for pre-order on Amazon
The official biography of Steve Jobs is now available for pre-order on Amazon. iSteve: The Book of Jobs will be available in hardcover for US$18.00 and as a Kindle edition for $14.99. We first told you of the authorized Steve Jobs biography back in February 2010. The book is written by Walter Isaacson, the former managing editor of Time Magazine. Isaacson is also known for his biographies on Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein. The book will be published by Simon & Schuster on March 6, 2012 and is set to be 448 pages. From the Amazon product description: "From bestselling author Walter Isaacson comes the landmark biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. In iSteve: The Book of Jobs, Isaacson provides an extraordinary account of Jobs' professional and personal life. Drawn from three years of exclusive and unprecedented interviews Isaacson has conducted with Jobs as well as extensive interviews with Jobs' family members, key colleagues from Apple and its competitors, iSteve is the definitive portrait of the greatest innovator of his generation." The book is sure to be an international bestseller and at the time of this writing is currently ranked #28 in Amazon's Top 100 books and #1 in three separate categories: Technology, Biography & History, and Business.
Authorized Steve Jobs biography due in early 2012
As we reported in February of 2010, Walter Isaacson, former managing editor of Time magazine, has been working on an authorized biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs for some time. Over at Apple 2.0/Fortune, Phil Elmer-DeWitt reports that iSteve: The Book of Jobs has been completed and will be published in early 2012. It may be surprising that someone as intensely protective of his privacy as Steve Jobs would authorize anyone to tell his life story. After reading Elmer-DeWitt's profile of Isaacson, though, it's a little clearer why Jobs has finally opened up. Isaacson's résumé is very impressive indeed, as are his biography subjects to date: Benjamin Franklin, Henry Kissinger and Albert Einstein. There's a one-degree-of-separation TUAW connection to Isaacson, as it happens. Our lead editor Mike Rose was in charge of new media at Entertainment Weekly in the mid-1990s when Isaacson was running Time Inc.'s Pathfinder web portal for the company's magazine titles, and they worked together on occasion. Mike says he doubts that Walter will see fit to send him advance galleys of the Jobs biography for old times' sake, but it never hurts to ask. With Isaacson behind the project and Jobs as its subject, iSteve sounds like it should be a fascinating read. For an alternate take on the choice of Isaacson as the official iBiographer, see Michael Wolff's piece here.
Coming to an iBookstore near you: The authorized biography of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is an intensely private man. He values his privacy so much, he's had no qualms fighting the Times of London about a profile they wrote on him last summer. Four years earlier, Jobs played hardball with Wiley & Sons, the publisher of 'iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business'. Jobs told Wiley & Sons to halt publication of the unauthorized biography. Wiley & Sons refused to back down so Steve punished them by pulling every book by Wiley & Sons from all Apple retail stores. Talk about hitting someone where it hurts; some of Wiley & Sons' biggest selling books were titles like The Mac OS X Bible and Mac OS X Tiger For Dummies (you can see a full list of their Mac titles here). It looked like anyone hoping for a look inside Steve's past would be hoping forever. Not any more. The New York Times is reporting that Steve himself is set to collaborate on an authorized biography, to be written by Walter Isaacson, the former managing editor of Time magazine. The New York Times says the book is still in its early planning stages and would cover the entire life of Jobs, from his youth through his years at Apple. Isaacson is the author of two best-selling biographies, "Einstein: His Life and Universe" and "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life." All of his books have been published by Simon & Schuster who, coincidentally, got the center spot in the iBookstore participating-publishers slide during the iPad unveiling. Neither Apple or Isaacson would comment on the rumors, but seeing how Apple is now in the book business, now's as good as time as any for an authorized Steven P. Jobs biography. What do you think? Buy an iPad, get the biography of its creator for free?
