Rating: 
Summary: Will There Be A Third
Review: "The Second Coming Of Steve Jobs", by Alan Deutschman is a fairly interesting read. It is limited as a biography as the subject did not participate in the book. Everything that is offered is based primarily on recollections of conversations and events, which while amusing don't really give the reader the feeling that Steve Jobs has really been portrayed in more than a superficial manner.The book is better in the first half as opposed to an ending that is best described as repetitious. What the book devolves into is example after example of either behavior by Steve Jobs that many would find eccentric, and some may find bizarre. I don't think readers need dozens of examples of his infantile behavior of ridiculing people who can manage to work for him. The concept of the spoiled, immensely wealthy, and often juvenile behavior of silicon kings and queens is not a new discovery. There is also an over abundance of gushing admirers that is understandable until the reader learns that many of these people were his victims, some more than once. When the book does offer glimpses of how he managed not once, but twice to dramatically take center stage in the computer industry, and with Pixar establish a new definition of animated film, you cannot help but be impressed with a man who clearly is extraordinary. Like Bill Gates he has often negotiated business deals that were hugely advantageous to both he and his company from people that you think would have had better judgment. The story of Ross Perot is one of the more amusing parts of the book. The most concrete detail to be had is regarding the multi decade development of Pixar, and the people who grew the company from an idea to the magic 3-D animation company it has become. The reason there is depth to the Pixar study is precisely because Steve Jobs bought the company after it had developed for many years, and then was basically ignored by the founders as they went about running and creating Pixar with his money, but without his presence. It is said he visited Pixar less than once a year for the better part of a decade, and when Pixar creators showed him, "dailies", there were for him only, the real work was viewed the next day. The book also offers brief views of other towering egos like Jeffrey Katzenberg, Larry Ellison, and Michael Eisner. There is no denying the success these men have had; however one wonders if it is because of their personalities or in spite of them. My comment regarding "will there be a third coming" of Steve Jobs came to mind from a comment the author made. He was extolling the fact that Steve Jobs had come back to Apple, and raised the value of the company from $3 billion to $16 billion. The company is back down to $6 billion in value and suffers from some of the same policies that nearly killed the company the first time. There is no denying the talent of this man, however his refusal to open up his machines, his actual preference that they be bolted shut to the consumer, seems to ensure his, "Insanely Great", products will always have a tiny following, and not the number of users they deserve.
Rating: 
Summary: The Pompous CEO
Review: Alan Deutschman writes in quintessential GQ style...Apple, Pixar, Next and Jobs are given the cinematic attention - Brioni suits and designer clothing take precedence to the story telling theme! That's precisely where the story ends - Neither Apple's business environment nor the facts behind Jobs renaissance garner attention! Steve's vendetta against the Apple board that sacked him, his bitterness about moving away from the company he helped create and his pre-occupation with Odwalla fruit juices/Black polo shirt & blue jeans are the only facets of Steve's character that Deutschman manages to grasp. (...) Steve's obsession with German design aesthetics, his "tomfoolery" with his corporate hobbies- Next, Pixar and Apple are all touted by Deuschman as tenets of a precipitous corporate personality! Jobs is portayed as a whip slashing mogul who just rides his "ill-deserved" luck to the top- He is credited with ZERO intelligence and a disgusting atttitude! Apparently, Next and Pixar had no strategies and were "bleeding,hemorrhaging corporations"- a phrase Deutschman uses with irritating regularity! Job's groundbreaking strategies to rev up the motorcade of new products at Apple and Next are promptly thrown out of the window! His ability to turn small-door companies like Pixar into money making machines is rudely ignored. (...)This man hardly knows what he is talking about!
Rating: 
Summary: Better than I ever expected!
Review: I am unabashedly one of the (until recently) Macintosh Faithful, having at one time printed my own business cards with "Mac Evangilist" as my title. I would approach customers in the Macitosh section of CompUSA or Computer City and see if they had questions (only while i was there already, mind you!). I have waxed lovingly on the virtues of Macintosh to all my friends and family, and longed for a NextStation, if only as a hobby machine. Needless to say, I am a died-in-the-wool Steve Jobs fan. In all fairness, the amount of information out there about the MAN is thin and disreputiable. His charm, 'reality distortion field' and his public dressing-down of employees are the stuff of legend, but little concrete has been found about the MAN. A few years ago I read another biography, called (i think) "Steve Jobs and the NeXT Best Thing". It was a one-sided, blistering account of every failure Jobs made with his founding of Next, and seemingly NO good choices were made. Picking up this book, The Second Coming, I was expecting more of the same. What I found was a fair, inciteful, and only slightly more vague than it could have been. The writer does seem to set the reader up as to many of Steve's strong points, and then makes a point to tear down Steve and portray him as almost an unfeeling monster. The narrative is a gentle roller-coaster ride between these two extremes, giving the impression that Steve is either a child, or possibly suffering from multiple personality disorder. One thing to note is that Steve Jobs does not approve of this book, and as I understand sued to stop publication. Needless to say, HIS point of view and interviews with him are not part of the makeup of the book. Overall, I find this to be an excellent, information packed book on one of the FEW businessmen I would consider a 'hero' to me. However, without Steve's direct input, this book comes across VERY strongly as a coloring-book picture colored from the OUTSIDE up to the outline of the man, not filling in the man himself.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, varied, and fair
Review: I am unabashedly one of the (until recently) Macintosh Faithful, having at one time printed my own business cards with "Mac Evangilist" as my title. I would approach customers in the Macitosh section of CompUSA or Computer City and see if they had questions (only while i was there already, mind you!). I have waxed lovingly on the virtues of Macintosh to all my friends and family, and longed for a NextStation, if only as a hobby machine. Needless to say, I am a died-in-the-wool Steve Jobs fan. In all fairness, the amount of information out there about the MAN is thin and disreputiable. His charm, 'reality distortion field' and his public dressing-down of employees are the stuff of legend, but little concrete has been found about the MAN. A few years ago I read another biography, called (i think) "Steve Jobs and the NeXT Best Thing". It was a one-sided, blistering account of every failure Jobs made with his founding of Next, and seemingly NO good choices were made. Picking up this book, The Second Coming, I was expecting more of the same. What I found was a fair, inciteful, and only slightly more vague than it could have been. The writer does seem to set the reader up as to many of Steve's strong points, and then makes a point to tear down Steve and portray him as almost an unfeeling monster. The narrative is a gentle roller-coaster ride between these two extremes, giving the impression that Steve is either a child, or possibly suffering from multiple personality disorder. One thing to note is that Steve Jobs does not approve of this book, and as I understand sued to stop publication. Needless to say, HIS point of view and interviews with him are not part of the makeup of the book. Overall, I find this to be an excellent, information packed book on one of the FEW businessmen I would consider a 'hero' to me. However, without Steve's direct input, this book comes across VERY strongly as a coloring-book picture colored from the OUTSIDE up to the outline of the man, not filling in the man himself.
Rating: 
Summary: New Perspective
Review: It's great to see a different perspective on Jobs. So many books are either too nice to him, or too mean. This one is much more balanced than most, and has testaments from all sorts of people in Steve's life, and covers the bases as well as is possible without Steve participating. The best part is that it really focuses in on a portion of Steve's life that is often ignored in stories about Apple and Steve- NeXT and Pixar.
Rating:
Summary: unhip, non-apple-using, business writer reviews visionary
Review: It's offensive to read a straight business reporter "interpret" a creative hippy visionary with quirks. Yes, you get "facts", but you have to translate them and read between the lines (like we independent thinkers always have to do with consensus stuff!). Jobs deserves a great freak writer, not this FORTUNE hack! There'll be a great book bio of Jobs eventually, but this ain't it. Yes, lot of "data', I admit. For example, natural food eating is considered bizarre. Yes, Jobs went to extremes, but how can you tell from this writer? No perspective. I sleep on a Japanese futon--one guess what Deutschman would say about me... Another key omission in this book is a virtually complete deletion of anything about computers! The Mac might as well be a toaster oven. I can't stress enough how misleading this is for the reader unfamiliar with computers in general, or Apple specifically--to say nothing about the difference between Apple and the PC, which eludes the majority of PC users! Lot's of gossip and soap opera, though--only insiders have a chance to determine anything about this material, which ain't me. Steve Jobs is a "nine fire" in Japanese astrology (search for: "nine star ki:). He's probably a 3 in the enneagram. Check Jobs out this way and it can help dissecting Deutschman's "hack job" research. Plus you should know the difference between a mac and a pc or don't even bother.
Rating:
Summary: Good source for PIXAR history
Review: My rating, 3 starts, why? The author belives Jobs is Good. But besides that, I finally could understand how Jobs get involved with Pixar, that was the reason the book was worth for me.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, varied, and fair
Review: Steve Jobs is a powerful man with a tight grip on his image. The fact that this book was even written is a testament to Deutschman's dedication. I heard that Jobs even leaned on the press to avoid publicizing the book. After the reading the book, I don't even know why he was pushing so hard. Yes, there's some dirt about his love life, but most of the story is generally good news about a hard working guy with a knack for finding great designs. The chapters about Pixar are a great addition to the history of that company and an important reminder that Jobs helped build two world-class companies. I read it with pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Not very good at all
Review: The author's writing style is atrocious. He doesn't make Jobs into a fun character to read about, instead he's annoying and the book is annoying to muddle through. It's a real shame because it could have been a blast. Thank God it had a story about Bill Gates prank calling Jobs or it would have been a total waste.
Rating:
Summary: Not very good at all
Review: The author's writing style is atrocious. He doesn't make Jobs into a fun character to read about, instead he's annoying and the book is annoying to muddle through. It's a real shame because it could have been a blast. Thank God it had a story about Bill Gates prank calling Jobs or it would have been a total waste.
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