Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

I've only ever owned one apple product, a 2nd Generation Ipod Touch. It was fine. Not as cool as my android tablet. Often I think apple products are stupid and expensive; only worth having if you need to have the latest thing. Otherwise a cheap pc or android will do the job-actually more jobs. But all the new phones and computers are more or less just like the old ones, just slightly better. Jobs was the only one who made things radically different. He was about making the best products, not just reproductions for profit. Jobs was a visionary. Even his factories had to be beautiful. He had a zen approach to product development. Using the beginner's mind, he didn't want to make things that needed instruction manuals or presumptions.

I've always admired Steve Jobs for his commitment to vision. Isaacson's biography is pretty solid, showing the good with the bad in his subject. And I sometimes think most of people's good qualities are a result of their bad qualities. Steve treated people badly, but he knew they were only brought into his life and company with the purpose of fulfilling his vision. He chose them for that purpose. If they weren't fulfilling his vision or thriving, Jobs believed they should be someplace else. Most people aren't strong enough to stick to that truth.

But enough about Steve Jobs, let's talk about Bono from U2. He used his star power to get Apple to play the new U2 song in their new ipod commercial. Instead of using his music to avertise the Ipod, he wanted the ads for the Ipod to push his music. When U2's fans accused them of selling out, Bono got Apple to make a special U2 Ipod. Isaacson portrays Bono like he was cool, and not some sleazy rock star, but I don't know. He sounds pretty lame to me. Steve Jobs is also a huge fan of Bob Dylan, which was brought up a lot in this book... as if liking Bob Dylan makes someone interesting. There's a spot where Isaacson and Jobs talk about what's on his Ipod, and whether or not he likes The Beatles more or the Stones. Good Grief.