Steve Jobs bio points out the good and the bad
SAN FRANCISCO -- Steve Jobs was a brilliant and protean creator obsessed with elegant products bristling with clean design and, in his words, "awesome little features."
Beyond that, the late Apple CEO was an enigma to the public, by his own choosing.
What emerges in an authorized biography of Jobs is an egotistical, soulful, defiant, manipulative, uncompromising and, yes, obnoxious personality. The fully fleshed-out portrait in Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson, hit book stores on Monday. Advanced sales have topped best-seller lists since Jobs died Oct. 5 after a long battle with cancer at age 56.
"The thing that most surprised me about Steve was his emotional passion, especially for things he felt exhibited artistic purity," Isaacson said in a phone interview on Monday. Market-shifting products, not profits, were what motivated him.
Jobs had a powerful crystal ball for marketing, what some called his "reality-distortion field." His steadfast belief in his own compass might have contributed to his late decision to treat his cancer with surgery.
"If reality did not comport with his will, he would ignore it, as he had done with the birth of his daughter (Lisa) and would do years later, when first diagnosed with cancer," wrote Isaacson.
The book, originally titled iSteve, was scheduled for March 2012 but the release date was pushed up after Jobs' death. Isaacson, who interviewed Jobs more than 40 times, says Jobs regretted putting off cancer surgery and later resorted to exotic diets, accupuncture and other cutting-edge treatments. The book also draws from interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, foes, rivals and colleagues, according to Simon & Schuster. Jobs was one of 20 people to have the genes of his cancer tumor and his normal DNA sequenced, at a cost of $100,000.
The 630-page book details the Apple co-founder's relationships with Silicon Valley titans, Hollywood celebrities, artists and politicians in a sort of magical mystery tour of the rich and famous. Jobs was reportedly speechless when he met Bob Dylan. He thought Mick Jagger must have been "on drugs or brain-damaged" when they met. And, according to Isaacson, then-president Bill Clinton consulted Jobs on how to handle the Monica Lewinsky scandal that erupted in 1998.
"I don't know if you did it, but if so, you've got to tell the country," Jobs answered in a late-night phone conversation. His answer was met with silence.
The opinionated Jobs spared no words about his competitive rivals, offering these juicy tidbits:
•Google. Jobs had a major falling out with the Internet search giant. He had been friendly with Eric Schmidt and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin before the iPhone-Android rivalry. Schmidt, former Google CEO and now executive chairman, even served on Apple's board from 2006 to 2009. But the relationship quickly soured once Google launched its smartphone that aped many of the iPhones functions. Apple would eventually sue smartphone makers using Android. He called Google Android "grand theft" of the iPhone and vowed to "right this wrong." To underline his contempt, he likened Google products outside of search to manure (not his word).
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