Firstly a confession; I love books detailing how companies develop products and bring them to market, and this is my all time number one. Unlike many 'corporate' books, this is very different; one written with an amazing degree of insight, a passion and a large degree of humility.
In his book, Frank Rose details the rise of the Macintosh division within Apple and the conflicts the development of this ground-breaking computer caused. The money invested was vast and the money wasted (Steve Jobs had a pile of new robots painted in Apple colours only for them to stop working) is scary to say the least.
But inside this book we learn about passion and drive. The drive to build the World's best computer, the relentless search for the best interface and the almost inhumane hours worked by many (if not all) of the programmers and engineers to bring this product to market.
Steve Jobs plays centre stage for most of the book. His desire to create a computer form that had never been previously achieved is jaw-dropping. The fact that the outer cover of the Macintosh was formed from a single piece of plastic was new in itself. The rewards he gave his team (such as all signing the inside of the outer cover) made each of the team seem like heroes whilst inside Apple they were viewed as Pirates; a term they came to love and adopt.
You'll read about the 90 hour weeks, the relentless push for perfection, the leadership (and bullying by Jobs) and the manner in which Apple created and then aired the most amazing corporate advert of all time.
And the final words are reserved for Jobs himself; for who else could have possibly got away with launching such a ground-breaking and defining product with the words of Bob Dylan.
The time they are (certainly) a changin'.
