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Woz hired as technical advisor on Jobs biopic
Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter for the Facebook-inspired The Social Network, is working on an adaptation of the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. To help him in this quest, Sorkin has hired Steve Wozniak as a technical advisor, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. Woz will help Sorkin accurately represent Jobs personality and show the technology that drove Steve Jobs's life. Sorkin said he wants to focus on a controversial or difficult time in Jobs's life and won't do a full-life story. He's been busy working on another project and hasn't decided what part of Jobs's life he will cover. Work on the screenplay will begin in earnest over the summer.
Steve Jobs subject of new children's book
The Loop spotted a new book over at Amazon called "Who Was Steve Jobs?" that appears to be a children's book, of all things. It's part of a series of books designed to tell kids about famous historical figures and why they're so admired or well-known. Looking inside the book shows that it talks about Steve's life and times, all the way from the garage in California, up through the NeXT days, and to "Think Different" and "Insanely Great." There's also a detailed timeline included, and even a bibliography of sources. This might be just the thing for any little ones who could use a primer on Jobs and his life.
Aaron Sorkin to pen Jobs' biopic, Variety reports
Aaron Sorkin, fresh from winning an Oscar for writing "The Social Network," will move from covering Facebook to Apple. Sony has hired Sorkin to turn Walter Isaacson's "Steve Jobs" biography into a feature film, Variety reports. Sony acquired the movie rights to Isaacson's biography a couple weeks before it was released in October. Another Jobs biopic is scheduled to begin filming this month. This film, with the working title "Jobs," stars Ashton Kutcher and covers the years 1971-2000. "Jobs" is slated to be released in the fourth quarter of this year. [Via Mashable]
Apple's "1944" filmmaker describes the production
Last week, footage of an internal Apple sales video, titled 1944, landed on YouTube. The most notable part of the production was a cameo by Steve Jobs, who was impersonating FDR in the mock war film. One of the creative talents behind the video, Michael Markman, tells the back story about how the film came to be. It's an interesting tale about a moment of brilliance that started off as a routine meeting with Apple's Marketing Director, Mike Murray, and quickly turned into a face-to-face with Steve Jobs. You can read all the details on Markman's blog and watch the video on YouTube.
Daily Update for May 4, 2012
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. Subscribe via RSS
Steve Jobs interview returning to theatres
Last November, a 70 minute documentary based on "lost" interview footage with Steve Jobs was shown in a number of Landmark theaters in the U.S. Now "Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview" is returning to Landmark theaters for a limited run in 19 cities beginning on May 11. The footage was originally recorded in 1995 when journalist Robert Cringely was working on his "Triumph of the Nerds" series for PBS. The master tapes were lost, but a VHS copy was found in London last October. After digitization and restoration, the interview footage was released to capitalize on the publicity surrounding both the death of Jobs and the release of the Walter Isaacson biography. MacNN reports that the resolution of the film has now been enhanced using digital cleanup techniques, and that Robert Cringely provides "context and linking narrative." The Landmark Theatres website doesn't show the listings for the film at this time, so check your local theater listings next week for show times and locations. [via AppleInsider]
How the iMac was almost called "MacMan"
There's a great story about Steve Jobs and naming the computer that would eventually come to be called the iMac in a new book about Apple, available now. Ars Technica talked to Ken Segall, who was one of the stars of TBWA\Chiat\Day, the ad firm that has handled most of Apple's big products. Ken worked for a long time with Steve Jobs and his company, trying to name this new groovy computer. Segall hit on the name "iMac" early on, but Jobs didn't like it, and didn't like any of the other names offered as well. He had one name that he liked, he told Segall: "If you can't beat MacMan, that's what it's gonna be." Eventually, Jobs relented, but Segall says that he never officially agreed, of course. Because he's Steve Jobs. One day, iMac was just the name, "and that was the end of the story." Looking back, MacMan is not quite right, but even Segall says he didn't know that the "i-" prefix would come to be so "iConic." In the end, he says, Jobs was "a smart guy who was willing to act on his common sense." It's a good thing that common sense held out in this case, otherwise you might be reading this on your PadMan.
Steve Jobs plays FDR in this old Mac sales video
It's not often you see Steve Jobs impersonating a former president, but leave it to the creatives who made Apple sales videos to make it happen. Yes, in this never-before-seen footage (well, never seen outside the sales meetings at Apple back in the 1980s), Steve Jobs plays a certain commander-in-chief, and gives his generals (sales guys) a rousing speech. It's a great watch for Jobs, but check out the full video as well, over at Network World. Sales videos are a source of endless entertainment, from Apple or elsewhere, but it's kinda cool to see Jobs have fun with a role like this.
Traveling exhibit to display Steve Jobs patents
Steve Jobs fans in the Washington, DC area will want to check out an exhibit of his patents. Jobs had more than three hundred patents to his name, and 312 of them will be on display at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, which is part of the Smithsonian Institute. The exhibit contains physical examples of the patented items, like an Apple II, a Lisa, a NeXT computer and an iPod, as well as a facsimile of the accompanying patent. The exhibit was created by the nonprofit Invent Now, Inc, which works to highlight creativity and invention. It will run from May 11 to July 8. Tickets will be made available through the Smithsonain Associates website.
Bizarre internal Apple video shows Steve Jobs rallying the troops against IBM
We're going to warn you up front: what you're about to see is eccentric, puzzling, and perhaps even disturbing. And undoubtedly, it's the fanboy film to end all fanboy films. According to Network World, who managed to get ahold of an internal 'rally the troops' video, the referenced clip was produced with a $50,000 budget and shown to an international sales force at a 1984 meeting in Hawaii. The film, entitled "1944," was purportedly provided by one-time Apple employee Craig Elliott, now CEO of Pertino Networks. The vintage footage shows then-CEO Steve Jobs as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the nine minute film drags on to show Apple-clad soldiers lining up to do battle with IBM -- a massive, massive rival in the space during that era. The full watch can be found in the source link below (embedding was disabled), and again, this will absolutely freak you out. Fair warning.
Memory of Steve Jobs helped inspire Facebook's organ donation initiative
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg told ABC's Good Morning America that it was a combination of ideas from his girlfriend and his friendship with Steve Jobs that prompted him to use Facebook as a platform for addressing organ shortage for patients in need of transplants. Zuckerberg said seeing how Jobs's liver transplant extended his life for years was part of what helped him decide to go ahead with Facebook's new organ donor promotion. As of April 30, Facebook users in the US and UK can indicate they are organ donors on their timelines. If people have not registered to be organ donors, they are directed to where they can do so.
Apple wants courtroom cleared while Steve Jobs deposition is played
Universal Music Group is embroiled in a few lawsuits involving money owed to producers and artists, and in the course of events depositions by Eddy Cue and Steve Jobs were recorded at some point. Now, as these cases near trial, Apple is seeking a modification to a protective order to keep those depositions from being seen by anyone outside the courtroom -- primarily, musicians. While this may sound nefarious, the fact is that previously the court was willing to clear the courtroom (of UMG employees, too) when reviewing these depositions. Apple claims the release of documents that may include discussions between it and record labels would prove materially damaging to its business (iTunes) -- and I'm inclined to agree. While it would no doubt clue musicians in to some interesting tidbits, the fact is that those negotiations were private for a reason. The Jobs and Cue depositions, likely having discussed those negotiations, are similarly in need of protection, lest Apple's competitors know exactly where Apple stands with its groundbreaking iTunes Music Store and record labels.
Ferrari president reportedly meets with Tim Cook
Speaking at Stanford University's View From the Top lecture series, Ferrari President and Chairman Luca di Montezemolo talked about a recent meeting he had with Apple CEO Tim Cook. When talking to the Stanford students, di Montezemolo had many good things to say about Apple, according to a Wired report. di Montezemolo said he saw many similarities between his role at Ferrari and Jobs's role at Apple - both men took ailing companies and brought them back to life. He praised Apple for its inspiring management and leadership style, and admired the company's focus on simplicity, design and "a passion for product."
Fast Company on the 'wilderness years' of Steve Jobs
Brent Schlender of Fast Company has written a great long-form article on Steve Jobs's so-called "wilderness years" -- the period between when Jobs was ousted from Apple in the mid 80s and his return in the late 90s. Many people (wrongly) tend to think of this period as Jobs sort of aimlessly drifting until his triumphant return to Apple, but Schlender convincingly argues that it was during this time that Jobs grew into the sort of businessman who could not only bring Apple back from the brink of bankruptcy, but transform it into the world's most valuable company. Jobs was indeed busy during that decade, founding NeXT and helping to transform Pixar into a giant force within the entertainment industry. While Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs goes into the details of this period of Jobs's life, Isaacson seems to treat both NeXT and Pixar as diversions or distractions from the bigger goal: Apple. Schlender instead argues that Steve Jobs brought the same devotion to those two companies that he brought to Apple, and his work at both companies made him into exactly the CEO Apple needed. Schlender's article is quite long, but it's a very good read. If you can, set aside some time and read the whole thing.
Wild and wacky tributes to Steve Jobs
Business Insider has pulled together a gallery of unique tributes to Steve Jobs, ranging from custom ball-jointed dolls to an collage made of apples to zombies. Other recent tributes include the iCEO plush that's due in August. Are there any unique tributes you've seen recently? Discuss them in the comments.
Steve Jobs biopic to begin filming in May
The producer behind the independent film about Steve Jobs told Neowin that filming on the biopic will start in May in preparation for release in the fourth quarter of this year. The film will be shot in Los Angeles. Producer Mark Hulme said the film would focus on Steve Jobs' life between 1971 and 2000. Ashton Kutcher will play Jobs. The film, which The Daily said was called "Jobs" also has the working title "Jobs: Get Inspired." Hulme said there was a wealth of source material to use for the film, and he also would be relying on people who knew Jobs personally. [Via AppleInsider]
Daily Update for April 5, 2012
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. Subscribe via RSS
Walter Isaacson: "Apple will settle Google Android dispute"
Walter Isaacson, the author of the blockbuster bestselling biography of Steve Jobs, believes that the "less emotional" Apple CEO Tim Cook will settle the company's dispute with Google over the Android operating system for smartphones. In his book, Isaacson quoted Steve Jobs as telling Google executives, "You can't pay me off. I'm here to destroy you," referring to the way that the widely-licensed Android OS parroted iOS, in much the way that Windows followed the Mac's look and feel. How and when Cook will settle the dispute with Google wasn't part of Isaacson's statement to the Royal Institution in London. Isaacson also hinted that Apple will revolutionize the digital photography and television markets in the next two years. While the rumors of an Internet-connected Apple HDTV have been flying since Isaacson's book was published last fall, this is the first time that digital photography has been mentioned as another potential big market for Apple. The company's iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch products contain digital cameras, and the company makes the popular iPhoto and Aperture software products as well, but those products are hardly revolutionary. In his talk, Isaacson also professed his belief that, in a hundred years, Jobs will be seen as one of the great all-time inventors alongside Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Isaacson was quoted as saying that "Steve Jobs is a greater genius than Microsoft's Bill Gates because he has transformed multiple industries." [via Digital Spy]
Daily Update for April 4, 2012
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. Subscribe via RSS
Ashton Kutcher prepares to play Steve Jobs
Ashton Kutcher photo from Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com iPad publication The Daily reports that Ashton Kutcher is whole-heartedly preparing to play former Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Producer Mark Hulme of Five Star Feature Films: "He is already meeting with folks that knew Steve Jobs. He's working with professionals to get inside the voice. He's letting his hair grow out. I understand he's canceled all meetings and actually canceled all other projects." News of Kutcher's new gig was first announced by Variety on April 1st, prompting many to question if the notorious prankster had pulled a fast one. But it is a real project. The Daily reports that the indie film, which is not based on Isaacson's bio, will simply be called "Jobs."
