Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company

Written by Philip Roy | 03 February 2003
Posted in Books Training

Review
Author/Publisher -	Owen W Linzmayer No Starch Press San Francisco, California
Book details -	323 pages paperback ISBN 1-59327-010-0
Value for money -
Price -	$25 US
Available from -	www.owenink.com

With a multitude of news and rumour Mac websites out there, it's fairly easy to keep up with the history and speculation surrounding Apple Computer. But I decided I wanted to buy something that I can keep and look back through for reference about one of the IT industries most intriguing companies. Whilst I'm sure there will always be some stories we never hear about or manage to find out the complete truth on, Apple Confidential 2.0 (so named as it is a revised and updated version) has so much content related to the saga that is Apple Computer, that it's pretty hard to argue against the suggestion that this is the definitive guide on Apple.

Until recently, my one and only book purchase on the history of Apple Computer had been Gil Amelio and William L Simon's "On The Firing Line - My 500 Days At Apple". I bought it at a time that I had gone beyond being a simple Mac user and had turned into someone far more interested in the workings of the company and the problems it was going through. It was during a period in Apple's history where press coverage seemed devoted more to the inner workings, politics and misinformation about the company, than to any product coming out of Cupertino. The press smelt blood and loved it.

Apple's most famous ad (seen here with an iPod added digitally for its 20th anniversary). The legend surrounding this advert is not exactly how it all really happened.

I would never suggest describing myself as a fan of Gil Amelio. I think that I'd even be slightly hesitant if someone were to suggest that I was a supporter. Amelio I think it is far to say, had focus, but lacked vision. He was a hatchet man, and when he came in he began doing what had to be done. But vision requires a creativity that he lacked. 500 Days captured all that, including his greatest moment (and the start of the end for him) with the purchase of NeXT and the bringing back into the fold of Steve Jobs.

So, on the day the NZ dollar was doing exceptionally well and Apple Confidential 2 was released, I decided it was time to get back into the Apple History and have a read of a book from an Author who not only has an exceptional track record on reporting about Apple, but someone who it appears, got to chat to a lot of important people about all the historic events in its history.

Owen W Linzmayer starts the book off with an interesting comment. He says in his forward, that he won't express opinion in the book, just the facts, by stating...

"all I had to do was suppress the urge to offer my opinions while writing. This introduction is the only place in the entire book where 'I' intrude."

I'm all for objectivity, but suggesting that the author's presence is not going to be noticeable throughout the book is unnecessary. Owen, you're the author. I appreciate your goal in trying to remain objective, but comments that compare John Sculley's negotiation with Bill Gates to the negotiation by Neville Chamberlain with Hitler, surely must fall into opinion? Of the same deal, saying that "Apple got shafted" is emotive if not a personal/professional opinion.

But I'm not complaining here. I'm also not saying add more comments and conjecture. I'm just saying that the premise by which the author starts the book is a little strange. Everyone is human and everyone writes in such a way as to include a view in their writing, intentional or not. If Linzmayer hadn't, I would have been thoroughly bored and disappointed by the book.

By time or by story?
My initial reaction to the book was interesting. I found the approach that the author had taken a little curious in that, rather than move through the story of Apple in complete chronological order, he chooses to select an event (the development of the very first Macintosh for example) and devote each chapter to one of these sagas. However, once you see why he's done this, the approach is superb.

Steve Jobs - new light is shed on Apple's CEO...and I still can't make up my mind about him!

To write chronologically would have been far too confusing. There has been so much going on at Apple at times, that such an approach would have been muddled. It also would have meant foraging through the book to find the ultimate conclusion of each of the tumultuous events in Apple's life. Instead, those are detailed superbly in chapters that sit as comfortably by themselves, as they do with the rest of the book. Included at the end in every chapter is a timeline laying out the events of the chapter, but also other any other events occurring during that time.

Linzmayer has focused superbly on all the major events in Apple's history, and it's hard to try and think of anything that he has left out. For obsessive Mac enthusiasts like me, there are still a few surprises in store and clarification about issues surrounding each of the major events. He shows how various projects, personalities and situations all combined to create the good (but often the bad) decisions that Apple has made. For me, perhaps one of the most interesting revelations in the book is that the now infamous "1984" commercial did not in fact only ever air once (during the 1984 Superbowl) as we all thought, but that it was in fact shown at another time also, and repeatedly in cinemas in a different (shorter) form.

Sometimes you can be too helpful
There are few aspects to the composition of the book that I find interesting. The fourth chapter of the book is devoted to the internal codenames of hardware and software projects ("Copland", "Panther" etc) that Apple has used during development of projects (many of which never saw the light of day). While this collection is superb, I didn't really see it as fitting for the fourth chapter of the book. It could have quite easily formed part of the appendices. In this respect, the author tries to be too helpful at times. He knows these codenames are going to make the rest of the book easier to read, so he interrupts our train of thought and side-steps slightly to detail these codes.

Whilst that approach is helpful, it can also hinder the flow of the book and at times, it feels as though Linzmayer is being too helpful in his cross-references to other parts of the book or in repeating information. The fifth chapter for example (on Apple becoming publicly listed) comments on the fact that someone thought the Apple II wouldn't last and then states "a flawed assessment 'experts' would repeat many time over the decade; the Apple II remained on the price-list until November 15, 1993", when two chapters earlier (during the story of the Apple III) we read how, you guessed it, the Apple II remained on the price-list at Apple for some time.

It's still a 'must have'
This book is going to be a great reference in the future. It is incredibly detailed and shows that above all, Apple is run by humans...and that humans make mistakes. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but this book allows us the opportunity to look back at the decision making and business path that Apple has taken and in some instances, think "if only". If I were to make any recommendations on future editions, it would be that the 'per chapter' timelines are great, but I would still like to see one cumulative timeline that details every event. Again, this could be relegated to the appendices (alongside the codenames) and perhaps take up a page per year. It then allows for fast and easy reference when going back to the book. Linzmayer has also littered every page with quotes and timely events related to the story. It's great to see that for many of the prominent figures, he details their career since Apple and where they are now. They may have left Apple, but they are not forgotten!

Despite some slight niggles over book structure, this is a 'must have' purchase for the obsessive Apple fan in all of us and I would recommend it to all Mac enthusiasts.

Oh, and order from Owen's site directly (which I didn't know about!!). It seems you get your copy autographed by the author when you do. That's cool!