3 Review(s)

Inside Apple provides an inside look at what working for Apple, one of the most popular companies, involves. Summary Of The Book The products released by Apple represent innovation to many. The company’s products are highly accessible and rank high on usability too. In fact, the company’s products have a fan following rather than a customer base, as it specializes in letting its customers experience the freedom and joy that only new technology can deliver. In this book, the author reveals the process that goes into making these products. He mainly credits Steve Jobs for the success of the company, and states that Jobs’ visionary ideas transformed Apple into one of the most valuable companies in the world. The author reveals business concepts from inside Apple’s workspace, like assigning a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for each task and the annual event where the company’s top 100 executives are transported to a secret destination with Steve Jobs. The author also reveals interesting facts about the company, like the time spent over framing the right product package. For instance, there is an iPod un-boxing room where a designer would try out several different boxes that iPods could be packaged in. The designer would open each box to determine the box that would give the customer the utmost satisfaction while unpacking. The book also reveals the obsession with secrecy that drives the company. No single employee, however high ranking he is, knows all the details of the product that he is working on. Only the details relevant to his particular task would be revealed to him. For this reason, when a new product is launched, the employees also wait along with customers for the exciting details about the whole product. The book talks about the care given to assuring the best press coverage for the company and its products, and the attention to detail that goes into its high profile product launches. Inside Apple begins with the return of Steve Jobs as the CEO of Apple in 1997 and covers the company’s run up to the present period. It also focuses on the direction the company could take in the post-Jobs era. It also takes a close look at Apple new leadership team, comprising of people who have been directly responsible for the company’s success over the years. About Adam Lashinsky Adam Lashinsky covers financial and technology companies for Fortune magazine. He has written cover story articles on companies like Hewlett Packard, Apple, and Google. Inside Apple is his first and only book, as of August 2012. Lashinsky has also written analytical articles on companies like Wells Fargo, Intel, and Oracle. He is also a contributor to Fox News Channel and has appeared on many business shows. Before joining Fortune, he was a columnist for the online magazine, TheStreet.com and also for San Jose Mercury News. A native of Chicago, he has worked as an editor and reporter for Crain’s Chicago Business. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in History and Political Science. Lashinsky is married and lives with his wife and daughter in San Francisco.