Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
1. What surprised me the most me was that he worked
with Bill Gates early on. I never knew Bill Gates was helping Steve Jobs with
software on the Macintosh, and the eventual betrayal Jobs felt when Gates made
Windows. Though they technically both stole from Xerox, I found it interesting
that Jobs felt as if Gates “stole” "his" idea of a GUI for computers. I most
admired the perfectionist attitude he had with technology. I believe it shows
as the quality of Apple and its innovation somewhat “peaked” or stagnated when
he wasn’t there, and now as he isn’t here. I think that stems from
that perfection he wanted in the products Apple made. What I least admired is
his almost two-faced attitude or sort of thinking he was above everyone
else. Like the Bill Gates incident, he believed Gates stole the idea when
making Microsoft, but Jobs stole the idea of the GUI from Xerox. Steve Jobs did
encounter failure, and he handled it by just being resilient and he kept
working. He moved from different projects, and in life, he was always able to
reflect and then move on and try to improve on his mistakes and achievements.
2. The competencies I notices were his artistic ability, and
his drive to achieve a “perfect” product. In his artistic capabilities, he was
able to produce and envision technology that would be beautiful and efficient
in how they were used. He didn’t just want it to work, he wanted it to look
good and in a way that would improve efficiency in using the technology. His
drive I would also say is a competency as he was always looking to make a
product that was perfect. He wouldn’t settle for anything less, and that’s what
made him achieve so much in terms of Apple and with Pixar.
3.I really didn’t find anything confusing, but one part of
the reading I found kind of off was the Music Man chapter, as it deviated from
the autobiography a little bit to talk more about musicians. It was in the part
of the book about the iPod and iTunes, so it made sense somewhat, but I found
it talking more about musicians rather than Jobs.
4.Two questions I would ask Steve Jobs:
Did you enjoy your time more at Pixar or at Apple?
What would be the next potential product Apple should research into
making?
5. I think he believed hard work was a symbol of who you are.
I think he believed hard work was a factor for success and for a solid
reputation. Though he had his problems with people, people also knew that he
was someone that worked incredibly hard to achieve something special, which
they had to respect. I would agree with this opinion as working hard can lead
to a lot of success and build a reputation that can lead to success.
