"Steve Jobs" is a biography authorized by Steve Jobs and written by Walter Isaacson. As a user of Apple products, I didn't know much about Steve Jobs, but after reading this book, I not only learned a lot about his personal experiences but also gained a deeper understanding of the history of the computer industry.
For various reasons, the first Apple product I encountered was the iPad, followed by the Mac Pro laptop. Compared to my previous experience with Windows, it did take some time to adapt, but once I got used to it, I could appreciate how many excellent designs enhance the user experience. After that, I started using the iPhone 6+, and I basically didn't want to switch to other phones, continuing to use the iPhone series. Under the influence of Apple's ecosystem, I also began using AirPods, Apple Watch, Apple TV, etc. The Apple products I haven't used yet are the Apple Vision Pro and HomePod, which are probably not closely related to Steve Jobs anymore.
Steve Jobs was greatly influenced by Zen Buddhism, thus pursuing "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." He placed a high value on product design, sometimes even more than on functionality. If the user experience is poor, having many features will still affect usability. Due to his intuitive sense of beauty in design, he would make many requests that seemed impossible to achieve, which put a lot of pressure on collaborators and led to strained relationships with many people. Steve Jobs' high standards for products also meant he had high expectations for others; he wanted to work with top talent to create top-notch products and could not tolerate his products being associated with mediocre ones. This led him to want to establish a closed system, controlling everything from hardware and software to the entire ecosystem.
Open or closed is a very important choice in the development of the computer industry. In the long run, openness can attract more people to innovate and accelerate industry development, but considering compatibility, it may lower the average quality of some products. In the short term, many products of varying quality may emerge. Personally, I still support openness, as it allows for competition to eliminate poor products and leads to high-quality products. A closed system managed by someone like Steve Jobs, who pursues perfection, will undoubtedly have products that exceed the average level of an open system, but without a leader who strives for excellence, a closed system may stagnate due to the lack of competition.
In addition to his strong design intuition, another characteristic of Steve Jobs is his immense influence. Although he had poor relationships with many people, he could persuade others to accept his ideas through various means and was adept at absorbing good content from others' ideas. I believe the App Store is Apple's most core product, as it allows other developers to create various applications within Apple's ecosystem by establishing rules, which multiplies the revenue compared to relying solely on Apple's own product development. Although some of the App Store's review mechanisms and high commission rates frustrate other developers, it currently seems to be a way for Apple's ecosystem to continue to sustain itself. In contrast, the Android ecosystem merely imitates and lacks good innovation; to surpass Apple, someone needs to have a significant disruptive idea.
This book is rich in content; those who enjoy gossip can read about Steve Jobs' romantic life, those interested in business battles can explore the struggles and collaborations between Steve Jobs, Apple, Microsoft, Disney, and others, and those looking for inspiration can witness Steve Jobs' triumphant return. For most ordinary people, Steve Jobs indeed changed our world, even though he did not care about our needs; he simply realized his own dreams.