Amazon.co.uk Review
Owen Linzmayer's Apple Confidential is subtitled The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc., and while nobody will ever know the complete, "real" story about Apple, Linzmayer's is probably as close as they come. Having covered Apple news since 1980, he offers extensive insider details about Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Gilbert Amelio, Bill Gates and other major players whose lives were (and are) intertwined with Apple's history. And along the way, we also learn about lesser-known figures whose stories have remained hidden in the Apple myth: Ronald Gerald Wayne, for example, who was actually a partner with Wozniak and Jobs in the original incarnation of the company, but who sold his share when he realised he would be financially vulnerable if it should fail. Linzmayer's tale does have a few drawbacks. Because he mixes a chronological narrative with chapters that focus on key points in the Apple story, he sometimes repeats himself. Case in point: the chapter "Big Bad Blunders" makes a great record of Apple's failures, but the story of the exploding Powerbook 5300s is duplicated at later points. Nonetheless,
Apple Confidential is rife with gems that will appeal to Apple fanatics and followers of the computer industry. Especially enjoyable are the revelation of "Easter eggs" that are hidden in several versions of the Mac operating system; the many screen shots, timelines and telling quotes from Jobs, Gates, Wozniak and others that populate the margins and concluding sections of each chapter; the "Code Names Uncovered" section that makes public the monikers of several secret Apple projects; and Bill Gates's 1985 letter to John Sculley and Jean Louis Gassee pleading for Apple to license Mac technology and develop a "standard personal computer." --
Patrick O'Kelley
Product Description
Journalist Owen Linzmayer explores Apple's tumultuous history, from its legendary founding, through a series of disastrous executive decisions, to its recent return to profitability. Backed by exhaustive research, this book debunks many of the myths and half-truths surrounding Apple, the Macintosh, and its creators. Linzmayer looks into secret archives, interviews key players, and tells the real stories behind the hype. You'll read about: the forgotten founder who walked away from hundreds of millions of dollars; the trials and tribulations of creating the original Macintosh, from research project to finished product; Apple's disastrous oversight that allowed Microsoft to dominate the personal computing industry with Windows; a cradle-to-grave expose of the Newton MessagePad; the careers of CEOs John Sculley, Michael Spindler, Gilbert Amelio, and Steve Jobs; complete timelines depicting the development of the Apple II, Apple III, Lisa, Macintosh, Newton, NeXT, and Windows, plus a list of every Macintosh every released; the triumphant return of Steve Jobs to Apple. Included are hundreds of revealing quotes, photos, illustrations, and timelines. This story of the original Silicon Valley start-up turned high-tech leader is not only a must-read for Macintosh enthusiasts and computer industry watchers, but an entrepreneurial adventure anyone will enjoy.
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