I originally bought this book when I started a research report at school on Apple Inc. The book seemed like the encyclopedia of Apple and I purchased it as a research tool. When I flipped through the book after i received it, I noticed a couple things. Firstly, the book wasn't just a wall of text, there were many pictures and quotes, which captured interesting moments in Apple's history. Also, there were many useful charts for Apple's financial information and interesting timelines for each product or important employee. The book was a great read, and it kept me interested the whole time. I also found great facts and based much of my research on this book. But don't get me wrong, this book isn't like a boring reference book. It is full of exciting narratives, descriptions of unique Apple products, and is written VERY well by Owen Linzmayer.

On top of this, I was lacking some first person experiences and knowledge on Apple, and needed to find an interviewee. To add to the superbness of the book, it included the contact information of the author, Owen Linzmayer. I emailed him asking if we could talk, and received a reply within the next day. From there, we were able to set a time to talk on the phone, and we ended up talking for about 30 minutes. He was easy to talk to, had many interesting stories to tell, and really knew what he was talking about. Overall, the interview helped me complete my research project, and I also learned a lot from it.

I STRONLY RECCOMEND THAT YOU BUY THIS BOOK!
-Matthew Leong

This is a wonderful history of Apple, Steve "I am God on Earth" Jobs, and Steve "the Woz" Wozniak. The author is no fanboy but also has no axe to grind. He is fair, honest, and objective.

The book starts at the beginning of Apple and concludes in the mid-2000s. Along the way you read about the ups and downs of Apple and its key employees. The book has lots of excellent photos and hundreds of little-known anecdotes. Highly recommended.

Very complete and detailed. Actually it's great for a reference piece, but it told me WAY more than I wanted to know.

This book is really very exhaustive of the twists and turns in Apple's long path of innovations and of course failures. Very well-written with juicy side notes to the main text, and it doesn't follow a strict chronological order which makes it more interesting. Maybe one more chapter should be added in the future to tell about the transition to Intel.

I can say I really enjoyed reading this book, but even buying the 2.0 version, the final part of the book isn't up to date. It doesn't cover the time during the PowerPC to Intel transition but I would consider it a must read for every Apple fan.

This is a great book that talks about the History of Apple Computer. I couldn't put it down and it was fun walk down memory lane of Apple computers and tech history.

This book contains all the informations a mac lover like me need to know to understand how the Apple has born. This is a very nice reading for me, I've readed it in few days. Very good also the notes at the sides.
A must for all mac fanatics in the world. Thanks Owen. Luca.

Don't just buy the book because you love Apple or the review is good. Go to local book store and see the book yourself first before buy one.

This is the most thorough book on Apple's history that I've ever seen, can't wait for Apple Confidential 3.0

After reading the insufferable iWoz, I wanted a book about the early days of Apple that didn't suck. A friend gave me Apple Confidential 2.0 for my birthday, and it was just what the doctor ordered. It emphatically didn't suck.

This is a well-written account of Apple, from the early pre-Apple blue box days through the book's 2004 publication. Instead of taking a traditional day-by-day walk through the company's history, Linzmayer arranges his chapters by topic. This makes following the individual threads of Apple much easier. Extra quotes and notes are included in the margins, which add colour and depth to the story. Jef Raskin, who unabashedly called himself the father of the Macintosh, said that this book was the most accurate depiction of how the original Mac was created.

Each chapter mostly stands alone. Since each chapter covers only one topic (say, the development of the Newton), some of the chapters in the tumultuous 90s are a bit hard to follow if you're not already aware of certain pieces of Apple history. Many topics are referenced without a word of explanation, just an occasional pointer to the later chapter. The most glaring examples of this are the references to Be, the Star Trek project, and Copland.

The chapter about the Star Trek project is a great example of another problem of the book. It's too early to talk about more recent developments. Star Trek was the project started in 1992 to bring the Mac OS to Intel. According to this book, the project was shelved in 1993. Typing on a MacTel today, it's obvious that the project was resurrected. I know that I'm not alone in wondering how this actually came about.

Even with those complaints, I recommend the book. The early days of Apple are interesting indeed, and understanding them is critical to understanding Apple today.

After reading the insufferable iWoz, I wanted a book about the early days of Apple that didn't suck. A friend gave me Apple Confidential 2.0 for my birthday, and it was just what the doctor ordered. It emphatically didn't suck.

This is a well-written account of Apple, from the early pre-Apple blue box days through the book's 2004 publication. Instead of taking a traditional day-by-day walk through the company's history, Linzmayer arranges his chapters by topic. This makes following the individual threads of Apple much easier. Extra quotes and notes are included in the margins, which add colour and depth to the story. Jef Raskin, who unabashedly called himself the father of the Macintosh, said that this book was the most accurate depiction of how the original Mac was created.

Each chapter mostly stands alone. Since each chapter covers only one topic (say, the development of the Newton), some of the chapters in the tumultuous 90s are a bit hard to follow if you're not already aware of certain pieces of Apple history. Many topics are referenced without a word of explanation, just an occasional pointer to the later chapter. The most glaring examples of this are the references to Be, the Star Trek project, and Copland.

The chapter about the Star Trek project is a great example of another problem of the book. It's too early to talk about more recent developments. Star Trek was the project started in 1992 to bring the Mac OS to Intel. According to this book, the project was shelved in 1993. Typing on a MacTel today, it's obvious that the project was resurrected. I know that I'm not alone in wondering how this actually came about.

Even with those complaints, I recommend the book. The early days of Apple are interesting indeed, and understanding them is critical to understanding Apple today.

Second edition contains all of new additions to iPods to new Mac OS X versions, codenames and features. It is also very fond memorabilia for old Apple users!

Second edition contains all of new additions to iPods to new Mac OS X versions, codenames and features. It is also very fond memorabilia for old Apple users!

This book is a very detailed and thorough history of Apple Computer. Two major points come out of thie book: First, for those of us who live by the Mac, it is shocking to read the journey of Apple in terms of how close they came to extinction in the discordant years when Michael Spindler and Gil Amelio were at the helm. Extinction, liquidation and absorption almost happened so many times that you really begin to believe that maybe there was some devine intervention. This is because like many people, I can't imagine a world without Apple. Second, Apple is a company of innovation and thinking out of the box. In order to survive and prosper, Steve Jobs is the only type of person that can make this happen. For whatever rumors you may hear, he is the right person to run Apple and I hope he is around a long time.

I always feel that if you know the history of something you value, you appreciate it that much more. Especially, if there was some struggle to survive along the way. This book will take you on a ride that began in the 1970s. It is a fun and exciting ride.

While I have rarely used Apple products, I know people who are evangelical about them. To such people, Gates and his group are evil incarnate and Jobs and his group is pure and untainted. However, like so many people who have achieved everlasting fame, a lot of what Jobs has achieved was taken from others. In this recapitulation of the history of Apple from the beginnings to Jobs' triumphal return, you learn a lot about Jobs that is not pretty. He is self-serving, mean, mercurial, deceitful and often wrong.
However, Steve Wozniak comes across as a great person. It was Woz who made sure that the little people at Apple received some form of compensation, even when it came from his own pockets. Success never overcame him, he has always remained humble and respectful of others. Even when he learned that Steve Jobs had cheated him, he did not seek revenge or even publicize the incident.
The history of Apple is another example of an incredible "what might have been" in the history of computing. Apple was technically years ahead of all others, including Microsoft, so had they been willing to license their GUI technology, it is possible that Microsoft Windows would never have existed. It is one more historical example that the Microsoft operating system near monopoly is due as much to luck as it is to skill.
Through all of the ups and downs, Apple has managed to survive, although at times it was very close. This history of the repeated cycle of rising and falling of a major technology player is one of the most interesting stories of the last century. It is nothing like the tales portrayed by people who consider all of Apple's problems to have been due to evil forces outside the company. Major mistakes were made by the Apple executives, including Jobs, and from this book you will learn that most of the damage was self-inflicted.

I am a self-proclaimed geek who recently switched over to mac. I enjoyed this book and it offered a lot of insight into the company that I look up to. In all, I recommend it just for the fun factor, though you will leave with a lot of new facts you didn't knoe beofre (or at least I did).

I am a self-proclaimed geek who recently switched over to mac. I enjoyed this book and it offered a lot of insight into the company that I look up to. In all, I recommend it just for the fun factor, though you will leave with a lot of new facts you didn't knoe beofre (or at least I did).

I am a self-proclaimed geek who recently switched over to mac. I enjoyed this book and it offered a lot of insight into the company that I look up to. In all, I recommend it just for the fun factor, though you will leave with a lot of new facts you didn't knoe beofre (or at least I did).

If you are a mac zealot or the friend/relative of one, this is a must buy (although now buying the newer 2.0 edition is more appropriate). Every chapter is a fairly well researched juicy read, into the secrets (and simply excellent stories) of Apple Computer throughout its 30 year history.

The one minor issue is the insertion of the author's point of view regarding some figures that perhaps creates a little bias. Jean Louisse Gasee (sic) comes to a mind as a would be visionary perhaps beyond his true significance (although he certainly is an important historical Apple figure that is too often overlooked). Also Spindler is lauded while his true good for the company is certainly questionable.

However this minor critique does not take enough away to lower the 5 star rating! This is a true page turner and a must read for Apple fans everywhere.

If you are a mac zealot or the friend/relative of one, this is a must buy (although now buying the newer 2.0 edition is more appropriate). Every chapter is a fairly well researched juicy read, into the secrets (and simply excellent stories) of Apple Computer throughout its 30 year history.

The one minor issue is the insertion of the author's point of view regarding some figures that perhaps creates a little bias. Jean Louisse Gasee (sic) comes to a mind as a would be visionary perhaps beyond his true significance (although he certainly is an important historical Apple figure that is too often overlooked). Also Spindler is lauded while his true good for the company is certainly questionable.

However this minor critique does not take enough away to lower the 5 star rating! This is a true page turner and a must read for Apple fans everywhere.

Linzmayer's book is an excellent addition to the library of any computer enthusiast and/or historian. This is a well-written, comprehensive work covering a broad range of Apple topics: the development of the Macintosh, the executives, the spin-offs (NeXT and Be), etc.. For a high-level overview of the company to OS X, this is a fine work. One particular feature that I loved was the inclusion of sidebar information, providing background, quotes (many of these are fantastic), and "where are they now" information without distracting the reader.

That said, Linzmayer doesn't sound entirely objective and his likes and dislikes seem rather apparent. That said, if you read this book with a certain political bent (particularly a pro-Jobs one), then you may not like the way certain events are portrayed. A further complaint is the focus on executives without providing enough (in my opinion) about the engineers and thinkers. Personally, I think that more on Woz, Tribble, Tesler, Hertzfeld, etc. would be worth far more than the highs and lows of Sculley's marketing dreams. In this regard, I would say that the best history of Apple, particularly from a technical standpoint is Hertzfeld's Revolution in the Valley.

Bottom line: This is an excellent overview of Apple history. Included among a library of works - I might mention the excellent bibliography included in the book - then Apple Confidential rounds things out wonderfully. A few caveats aside, I recommend reading this book.

For a long time I wanted to know what was realling happening at this 'most watched' Silicon Valley startup. Due to the proximity problems and a lot of 'hear-say', I had coined my own story of the inside story of Apple. The first of my eye-opener was the movie called the 'Pirates of Silicon Valley'. This time, after reading almost 70% of the book by Owen W. Linzmayer, I am truely excited, enthralled and shocked. As one of the insiders of the Apple (Mr. Jef Ruskin himself) notes that this is very close to the reality, I feel the book is worth a lot more than the money I paid for.

I am sure this book serves as a lesson for all those who are interested in setting-up and running start-ups in the silicon valley. This book also serves as a lesson to those geeks who should be aware of how the business tycoons in the company could rule over the best-of-the-technology as a piece-of-crap.

I must say that I enjoy this book a lot as if covers many aspects and events within Apple that are sometimes not well documented. There are juicy info-snippets throughout the book, which makes this a good read. I was even at Apple during some of these events during the days during the introduction of System 7 until the acquisition of NeXT, Inc. Despite the praise, I must warn though that I find some inaccuracies and also found that a lot of the information is scrapping off the surface, perhaps from existing research or published works, but doesn't really dig too much deeper as needed in order to develop an informed historical understanding.

One obvious example is where Linzmayer states that "At the core of Mac OS X was Darwin, Apple's Linux-like operating system kernel" (280), but actually specifically Darwin is a modified Mach kernel that runs a BSD spice added. To say the kernel is "Linux-like" is plain flat wrong. In another section, Linzmayer paints the picture that "Apple had focused so much on producing the new generation of hardware and making the system software function seamlessly that creating PowerPC-native programming tools for developers wasn't a high priority" (235) and also that Metrowerks was the hero. Actually, Apple never really focused on developer tools even for 68K hardware, and in fact the MPW C compiler actually compiled C into Pascal code, which was compiled into binaries. Apple made a deal with Symantec to provide command-line PowerPC compilers for MPW, and much later in the game they cooperated with Metrowerks to encourage their efforts (Symantec's Think development division was a mismanaged sinking ship).

There's a lot of little things like this, but one thing profound was that in the chapter "From Diesel to Doctor" Linzmayer gives praise and defends Spindler in noting his "no-nonsense management experience" (233) and defends him by noting that "Spindler is a passionately private man" and notes that without Spindler Apple "would have ceased to exist" (233). However, around this time, Spindler was a brunt of jokes and Apple was left to the mercy of horrific managers, e.g. Dave Nagel.

Linzmayer credits Spindler with the transition to PowerPC processor in stating that "He had successfully polished Apple... while managing that Mac's transition from Motorola's 68000 family of processors to the new RISC-based PowerPC" (235). During this time, I don't think he was really involved as there was already a transition plan in place during the time of Sculley. Specifically, the transition to PowerPC was architected in part by the A/UX team using their nano-kernel and mixed-mode magic as they called it, and later developed on a Quadra 700 with a "Smurf" PowerPC daughter card. The future first generation of PowerMacs were based upon the Quadra 700 architecture using the same ROM running on the "Smurf" card. The hands-off or lack-of management of Spindler allowed the engineers to do what they do best.

In "The Copland Crisis" (273) there's no mention of some of the real problems that were around that time where the next generation OS "'did develop a flat tire on the road to greatness'" (274). Due to lack of management or mismanagement this product "Copland" (externally) or "Maxwell" (internally) became a disaster by trying to graft legacy non-re-entrant libraries like QuickDraw onto a micro-kernel architected - hence re-entrant - system called "NuKernel". Internally, SQA was predicting the OS could ship in 2020 with given metrics.

Later, when Ellen Hancock was on board after the announced Next, Inc. acquisition, her newly created compatibility team (bringing in ex-AU/X gurus with time proven knowledge undocumented ins/outs of legacy Mac internals) achieved 96% classic Mac OS compatibility on "NuKernel" through a sand-box approach in one whole month -- something that wasn't achieved for over 2 years under prior structure and management, which never realized or utilized AU/X team's proven success in bringing Mac OS compatibility to A/UX, HP-UX, AIX (never released), and Solaris combined with the PowerPC transition through nano-kernel. This sand-box was brought to Mac OS X naturally.

None of this material was mentioned in that chapter, and instead it focuses primarily on the NeXT vs. BeOS and NeXT acquisition, and ignores actually what really happened in the trenches. There might not have been a need to acquire an OS if the project was managed properly (though I'm glad they did acquire NeXT and Jobs. Woot. Woot. :).

But don't get me wrong, I think this is a great book, but it is missing a lot of detail, incorrectly paints or portrays some characters/situations, and is inaccurate in some places. Still a decent read (especially in the bathroom :)

Written in a very "user friendly" style, this is a great recitation of the history of Apple. I especially like the side-stories on almost every page. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in one of the most fascinating American corporations.

Awesome book. Easy reading, clear and simple language, very communicating and entertaining. (and super fast shipping!)

Be warned! After reading the last page, you will immediately try to find out about other books that might have been penned by this author. And you will find that there are quite some more (all of which, unfortunately, are out of print, but often still available here).
Not many books make it on the list of books I would like to have on me after stranding on a remote island, but this one definitely did. Whithin the (unfortunately limited) confines of a single book Owen Linzmayer has managed to deliver pretty much everything about the amazing Apple company that was ever intended to become known to the public, plus about every juicy little tidbit that wasn't. Through 322 pages you'll follow Apple from starting (financially backed by the sales of Steve Jobs' old Volkswagen bus and Steve Wozniak's beloved HP calculator) in the garage of Steve Jobs' parents to becoming a leader of the industry with a net sales of more than 11 billions of dollars. A leader who, faltering under increasing competition and a series of desastrous management decisions, almost went bancrupt before rebounding to profitability through innovation, breathtaking design and a flair for the right product at the right time.
Although you're likely to do it anyway because you'll have a hard time putting this book down, there is no need to read it in its entirety from front to back. This is because, quite unlike most company history books, this one does not follow a strict chronological format. Instead, the main products, executives, triumphs and crises are examined in their own freestanding chapters. Timelines provide overviews over key people and products at a glance. For example, the timeline dedicated to John Sculley (Apple CEO between 1983 and 1993) spans four pages and covers all major (and quite some minor) decisions, events and products that influenced Apple's rise and fall during the decade he was in charge.
The book is laid out in a rather unusual way. Pages are divided into two colums. The inner column, occupying about two thirds of the available page width, is where the main narrative is located. The outer margin contains myriads of pictures, cartoons, quotes and in-a-nutshell text blocks that are mostly, but not always, related to the information conveyed in the main narrative next to them. In the chapter on the Apple III fiasco, for example, such a text block will teach you that although 14.000 of the approximately 120.000 Apple III computers sold had to be replaced, Apple received thank you letters from customers, telling them that General Motors would never have done the same.
I found the above-mentioned book layout mildly confusing at first, but it soon turned out that it can increase one's reading pleasure significantly. Eventually, I found myself wondering which interesting little tidbits would await me on the next page way before turning the current page over, eagerly devouring all of them before drawing my attention back to the main narrative as soon as a page was actually turned.
There is but one chapter in this book that, with all due respect, I think deserves some critical comment. Titled "The fallen Apple", the chapter on the Apple Newton explains through 23 pages why this amazing machine was a failure. From the standpoint of Apple's finances, the Newton might indeed be considered such. But from the standpoint of its continued and even eight years after its demise still increasing viability among users, the Newton is clearly a success. I am writing this very review on a Newton 2100 built in 1997. A computer that recognizes my handwriting flawlessly and way better than I have ever been able to myself. A PDA whose backlight is so excellent that I once managed to keep my fingers clean while changing my offspring's diapers during a power cut. A hand-held device capable of emitting sounds loud enough to have woken even sleepy Frank this morning when the hotel's wake-up call did not come in time. I need to charge the batteries but twice a month although I use my Newton daily. About 5 minutes from now, using a PCMCIA WLAN card that wasn't even developed at the time the "failure" left Apple's assembly line, my trusty companion will e-mail this review wirelessly from my hotel room.
All in all, I see only one reason not to buy this book: If you have already done so.

Most books in this genre (corporate history books) tend to end up as a dissapointment. I don't know if it's because the authors are boring, or the companies they're writing about are.
This book was a delightful surprise and a very interesting read. Apple is an amazing company, but when you read into the details of its story as outlined in this book, it's 10x more amazing.
I am wondering how the author got such an extensive insider's look into the company. Some of the details seem to be from a fly on the wall perspective...
Highly recommended book, and great read, even if you are not specifically interested in Apple or its products.

[A review of the 2nd EDITION.]

Apple has always garnered curiosity, as one of the most creative high tech companies in the world. This book tries to assuage that interest, updated to 2004. It covers in detail many aspects of the company's tumultuous history.

Some tidbits are mentioned that other books on Apple often omit. Like how along with Jobs and Wozniak, there was another co-founder, Wayne. But he sold his interest for around $2k, before Apple went public. Linzmayer estimates that had Wayne held his stock, it would have been worth $500 million in 2000. Ah, the what-ifs. He says that Wayne seemed genuinely unmiffed by this. But the reader must surely wonder otherwise. Like the story of the fifth Beatle. The divergent fates of Wayne, Jobs and Wozniak might be seen as a parable of Silicon Valley.

The book describes events up to 2003-2004. Just in time to include a discussion of the smash hit that is the iPod, and of ancillary packages like iTunes. While perhaps these are too recent to be easily evaluated, Linzmayer doesn't shirk from offering a timely analysis.

The book covers the entire history of Apple in amazing detail, as you would expect. There are chapters covering Wozniak and Jobs that are detailed and up to date. And there are timelines that make it easy to follow the progression of a number of aspects of Apple. This is particularly handy when following the hectic early nineties where Apple was releasing a different set of Macintoshes every couple of months.

However, unlike Cult of Mac, this book is far more dry in style than the company it documents. The point size of the content is almost unreadably small. And the layout is interesting, but not inspired. In particular the timelines which are in almost every chapter are drab.

Downsides aside, if you are a Mac enthusiast and you want to understand the history of the company there is no better source than this.

This is an excellent book. It is exceptionally well researched, well written and easy to read. While the concept of detailing the history of a corporation may seem mundane or boring, Linzmayer and Apple both make this a different story.

Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs helped to spark the home computer revolution when they invented the Apple I computer in a garage in Los Altos, California. Their computers have created a fanatic, cult-like following and some appear more like contemporary art or sculptures than actual computers.

Linzmayer provides detailed timelines illustrating the evolution of Apple and thorough inside information about the inner-workings of Apple, the comings and goings of its executive leadership, the evolution and creation of Apple's innovative product lines and more.

Tony Bradley is a consultant and writer with a focus on network security, antivirus and incident response. He is the About.com Guide for Internet / Network Security (http://netsecurity.about.com), providing a broad range of information security tips, advice, reviews and information. Tony also contributes frequently to other industry publications. For a complete list of his freelance contributions you can visit Essential Computer Security (http://www.tonybradley.com)

Half way through the book, I realized why and how I felt very intrigued by the writing style. It was written by the exact same type of person I am (or at least used to be before becoming a father :-). This book is written as if by a rock band fan who has thoroughly followed the history of the band, its different reincarnations (guitar player 1 replaced by guitar player 2 on album 3 and then back for a studio recording on album 7 and so on). What is unique about the book is that it follows not simple chronology but the different aspects of Apple, the company and the marketing and technological phenomenon. I have used a Mac only during an internship 9 or so years ago, so I am not a Mac zealot, however I've always been intrigued by Apple Computers and I can now honestly say that having read "Apple Confidential 2.0" I've had all my Apple cravings satisfied! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of one of the most innovative computer companies!