Steve Jobs (biography)
Encyclopedia
Steve Jobs is the authorized biography
of Steve Jobs
. The biography is written at the request of Jobs by acclaimed biographer Walter Isaacson
, a former executive at CNN
and Time
who has written best-selling biographies about Benjamin Franklin
and Albert Einstein
.
Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—in addition to interviews with more than one hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Isaacson was given "exclusive and unprecedented" access to Jobs's life. Jobs is said to have encouraged the people interviewed to speak honestly. Although Jobs cooperated with the book, he asked for no control over its content other than the book's cover, and waived the right to read it before it was published.
Originally planned for release on March 6, 2012, its release date was moved forward to November 21, 2011 due to Jobs's deteriorating health,
and again following Jobs's death on October 5, 2011.
The book finally released on October 24, 2011 by Simon & Schuster
in the United States.
announced on April 10, 2011 that Walter Isaacson
, a former executive at CNN
and Time
who has written best-selling biographies about Benjamin Franklin
and Albert Einstein
, will write an authorized biography on Steve Jobs
, described by the publisher as providing an "unprecedented look at the life of Apple's CEO and co-founder."
The book was originally titled iSteve: The Book of Jobs, but was changed to the "simpler and more elegant" title after Isaacson's wife and daughter told him it was "too cutesy."
Isaacson described how in Summer 2004, he received a phone call from Jobs asking him if he would "take a walk" so they could talk. Isaacson had recently published a biography of Benjamin Franklin
and was writing another about Albert Einstein
. It was then that Jobs asked Isaacson to write a biography of him. Isaacson's initial reaction was to wonder whether "[Jobs] saw himself as the natural successor [to Franklin and Einstein]."
Isaacson assumed that Jobs was in the middle of his career and therefore "demurred". Instead, Isaacson suggested that he would write a biography of Jobs when he retires in "a decade or two." Isaacson later realized that Jobs had contacted him just before he was going to receive his first operation to treat his pancreatic cancer
.
Although Jobs cooperated with the book, he asked for no control over what was written and waived the right to read it before it was published. Isaacson began work on the book in 2009.
of Jobs commissioned by Fortune
magazine in 2006 for a portfolio of powerful people. The photograph was taken by Albert Watson
.
When the photograph was taken, Watson said he insisted on having a three hour period to set up his equipment, adding that he wanted to make "[every shoot] as greased lightning fast as possible for the [subject]." When Jobs arrived he didn't immediately look at Watson, but instead at the equipment, focusing on Watson's 4×5 camera before saying "wow, you're shooting film."
Jobs gave Watson an hour longer than he had given most photographers for a portrait session. Watson reportedly instructed Jobs to make "95 percent, almost 100 percent of eye contact with the camera," and to "think about the next project you have on the table," in addition to thinking about instances when people have challenged him.
The title font is Helvetica
.
in Woodside
, California
in February 1984 by Norman Seeff
. In a Behind the Cover article published by Time
magazine, Seeff recalls him and Jobs "just sitting" on his living room floor, talking about "creativity and everyday stuff," when Jobs left the room and returned with a Macintosh 128K
(the original Macintosh computer). Jobs "[plopped] down" in the lotus position
holding the computer in his lap when Seeff took the photograph.
, iSteve: The Book of Jobs, was chosen by publisher Simon & Schuster
's publicity department. Although author Walter Isaacson
was "never quite sure about it", his wife and daughter reportedly were. However, they thought it was "too cutesy" and so Isaacson persuaded the publisher to change the title to something "simpler and more elegant."
The title Steve Jobs was allegedly chosen to reflect Jobs' "minimalist" style and to emphasise the biography's authenticity, further differentiating it from unauthorized publications, such as iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business by Jeffrey Young.
biographical film
were announced a few days after Jobs's death. Sony Pictures acquired the rights to the book from author Walter Isaacson
for a seven-figure sum. The film will be titled Steve Jobs and will be produced by Mark Gordon
.
Although it will be the first feature-length film to document the life of Jobs, previous films have been produced. In 1999, a television film Pirates of Silicon Valley
was released, with Noah Wyle
playing Jobs.
.
To commemorate Jobs's life after his death on October 5, 2011, Time
published a commemorative issue for Jobs on October 8, 2011. The issues cover featured a portrait of Jobs, taken by Norman Seeff
, in which he is sitting in the lotus position
holding the original Macintosh
computer, which was published in Rolling Stone
in January 1984 and is featured on the back cover of Steve Jobs. The issue marked the eighth time Jobs has been featured on the cover of Time.
The issue included a photographic essay by Diana Walker, a retrospective
on Apple by Harry McCracken
and Lev Grossman
, and a six-page essay by Walter Isaacson
. Isaacson's essay served as a preview of Steve Jobs and described Jobs pitching of the book to him.
Bloomberg
Businessweek also released a commemorative issue of its magazine commemorating the life of Jobs. The cover of the magazine features Apple-like simplicity, with a black-and-white, up close photo of Jobs and his years of birth and death. In tribute to Jobs's minimalist style, the issue was published without advertisements. It featured extensive essays by Steve Jurvetson
, John Sculley
, Sean Wisely, William Gibson, and Walter Isaacson
. Isaacson's essay served as a preview of Steve Jobs.
Fortune
will feature an exclusive extract of the biography on October 24, 2011. The excerpt will focus on the "friend-enemy" relationship that Jobs had with Bill Gates
.
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
. The biography is written at the request of Jobs by acclaimed biographer Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
, a former executive at CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
who has written best-selling biographies about Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
and Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
.
Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—in addition to interviews with more than one hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Isaacson was given "exclusive and unprecedented" access to Jobs's life. Jobs is said to have encouraged the people interviewed to speak honestly. Although Jobs cooperated with the book, he asked for no control over its content other than the book's cover, and waived the right to read it before it was published.
Originally planned for release on March 6, 2012, its release date was moved forward to November 21, 2011 due to Jobs's deteriorating health,
and again following Jobs's death on October 5, 2011.
The book finally released on October 24, 2011 by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
in the United States.
Content
The book is described as "[chronicling] the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing."Development
Publisher Simon & SchusterSimon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
announced on April 10, 2011 that Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
, a former executive at CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
who has written best-selling biographies about Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
and Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, will write an authorized biography on Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
, described by the publisher as providing an "unprecedented look at the life of Apple's CEO and co-founder."
The book was originally titled iSteve: The Book of Jobs, but was changed to the "simpler and more elegant" title after Isaacson's wife and daughter told him it was "too cutesy."
Isaacson described how in Summer 2004, he received a phone call from Jobs asking him if he would "take a walk" so they could talk. Isaacson had recently published a biography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
and was writing another about Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
. It was then that Jobs asked Isaacson to write a biography of him. Isaacson's initial reaction was to wonder whether "[Jobs] saw himself as the natural successor [to Franklin and Einstein]."
Isaacson assumed that Jobs was in the middle of his career and therefore "demurred". Instead, Isaacson suggested that he would write a biography of Jobs when he retires in "a decade or two." Isaacson later realized that Jobs had contacted him just before he was going to receive his first operation to treat his pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
.
Although Jobs cooperated with the book, he asked for no control over what was written and waived the right to read it before it was published. Isaacson began work on the book in 2009.
Appearance
Front cover
The front cover uses a photographic portraitPortrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people , in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject...
of Jobs commissioned by Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
magazine in 2006 for a portfolio of powerful people. The photograph was taken by Albert Watson
Albert Watson (photographer)
Albert Watson is a Scottish photographer well known for his fashion, celebrity and art photography, and whose work is featured in galleries and museums worldwide. He has shot over 200 covers of Vogue around the world and 40 covers of Rolling Stone magazine since the mid-1970s...
.
When the photograph was taken, Watson said he insisted on having a three hour period to set up his equipment, adding that he wanted to make "[every shoot] as greased lightning fast as possible for the [subject]." When Jobs arrived he didn't immediately look at Watson, but instead at the equipment, focusing on Watson's 4×5 camera before saying "wow, you're shooting film."
Jobs gave Watson an hour longer than he had given most photographers for a portrait session. Watson reportedly instructed Jobs to make "95 percent, almost 100 percent of eye contact with the camera," and to "think about the next project you have on the table," in addition to thinking about instances when people have challenged him.
The title font is Helvetica
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
.
Back cover
The back cover uses another photographic portrait of Jobs taken in his living roomLiving room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
in Woodside
Woodside, California
Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It uses a council-manager system of government. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in February 1984 by Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff was born March 5, 1939 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since moving to the United States in 1969, his work as a photographer and filmmaker has been focused on the exploration of human creativity and the inner dynamics of the creative process....
. In a Behind the Cover article published by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, Seeff recalls him and Jobs "just sitting" on his living room floor, talking about "creativity and everyday stuff," when Jobs left the room and returned with a Macintosh 128K
Macintosh 128K
The Macintosh 128K machine, released as the "Apple Macintosh", was the original Apple Macintosh personal computer. Its beige case contained a monitor and came with a keyboard and mouse. An indentation in the top of the case made it easier for the computer to be lifted and carried. It had a selling...
(the original Macintosh computer). Jobs "[plopped] down" in the lotus position
Lotus position
The Lotus Position is a cross-legged sitting posture originating in meditative practices of ancient India, in which the feet are placed on the opposing thighs. It is an established posture, commonly used for meditation, in the Hindu Yoga and Buddhist contemplative traditions...
holding the computer in his lap when Seeff took the photograph.
Title
The book's working titleWorking title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
, iSteve: The Book of Jobs, was chosen by publisher Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
's publicity department. Although author Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
was "never quite sure about it", his wife and daughter reportedly were. However, they thought it was "too cutesy" and so Isaacson persuaded the publisher to change the title to something "simpler and more elegant."
The title Steve Jobs was allegedly chosen to reflect Jobs' "minimalist" style and to emphasise the biography's authenticity, further differentiating it from unauthorized publications, such as iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business by Jeffrey Young.
Film
Proposals for the book to be adapted into a feature-lengthFeature length
Feature length is motion picture terminology referring to the length of a feature film. According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a feature length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes to be eligible for an Academy Award.The term may also...
biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
were announced a few days after Jobs's death. Sony Pictures acquired the rights to the book from author Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
for a seven-figure sum. The film will be titled Steve Jobs and will be produced by Mark Gordon
Mark Gordon
Mark Gordon is an American television and film producer.- Background :Gordon was born in Newport News, Virginia on October 10, 1956...
.
Although it will be the first feature-length film to document the life of Jobs, previous films have been produced. In 1999, a television film Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley is a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke and based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. The film documents the impact on the development of the personal computer of the rivalry between...
was released, with Noah Wyle
Noah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
playing Jobs.
Other media
Extracts from the biography have been the feature of various magazines, in addition to interviews with the author, Walter IsaacsonWalter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
.
To commemorate Jobs's life after his death on October 5, 2011, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
published a commemorative issue for Jobs on October 8, 2011. The issues cover featured a portrait of Jobs, taken by Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff was born March 5, 1939 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since moving to the United States in 1969, his work as a photographer and filmmaker has been focused on the exploration of human creativity and the inner dynamics of the creative process....
, in which he is sitting in the lotus position
Lotus position
The Lotus Position is a cross-legged sitting posture originating in meditative practices of ancient India, in which the feet are placed on the opposing thighs. It is an established posture, commonly used for meditation, in the Hindu Yoga and Buddhist contemplative traditions...
holding the original Macintosh
Macintosh 128K
The Macintosh 128K machine, released as the "Apple Macintosh", was the original Apple Macintosh personal computer. Its beige case contained a monitor and came with a keyboard and mouse. An indentation in the top of the case made it easier for the computer to be lifted and carried. It had a selling...
computer, which was published in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
in January 1984 and is featured on the back cover of Steve Jobs. The issue marked the eighth time Jobs has been featured on the cover of Time.
The issue included a photographic essay by Diana Walker, a retrospective
Retrospective
Retrospective generally means to take a look back at events that already have taken place. For example, the term is used in medicine, describing a look back at a patient's medical history or lifestyle.-Music:...
on Apple by Harry McCracken
Harry McCracken
Harry McCracken is creator of Technologizer, a technology-oriented website. He also presently writes a weekly column with the same name for the TIME.com website. Harry is also a contributing editor at CNET....
and Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman is an American novelist and journalist, notably the author of the novels Warp , Codex , The Magicians and The Magician King...
, and a six-page essay by Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
. Isaacson's essay served as a preview of Steve Jobs and described Jobs pitching of the book to him.
Bloomberg
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
Businessweek also released a commemorative issue of its magazine commemorating the life of Jobs. The cover of the magazine features Apple-like simplicity, with a black-and-white, up close photo of Jobs and his years of birth and death. In tribute to Jobs's minimalist style, the issue was published without advertisements. It featured extensive essays by Steve Jurvetson
Steve Jurvetson
Steven T. "Steve" Jurvetson is a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson . He was a Venture Capitalist investor in Hotmail, Interwoven, and Kana...
, John Sculley
John Sculley
John Sculley is an American businessman. Sculley was vice-president and president of PepsiCo , until he became CEO of Apple on April 8, 1983, a position he held until leaving in 1993...
, Sean Wisely, William Gibson, and Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
. Isaacson's essay served as a preview of Steve Jobs.
Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
will feature an exclusive extract of the biography on October 24, 2011. The excerpt will focus on the "friend-enemy" relationship that Jobs had with Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
.