Design Crazy

by Max Chafkin

"Apple Inc. is one of the most successful—and influential—companies of our time, the transformational innovator that made computers not just personal but beautiful everyday objects. Technology met design, and our culture was altered forever.

And yet very little is known about life inside Apple. The company is pathologically secretive—even with its own designers—about how it comes up with its groundbreaking iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and the next “insanely great” thing on the horizon. Here, for the first time, the men and women who worked for and alongside Steve Jobs share their remarkable, nearly forty-year-old story. How Apple survived nearly catastrophic failure early on. How Jobs and his team came to understand and execute design like no one else. And how their philosophy ultimately changed the world.

This Fast Company/Byliner Original is unlike any other book about Apple. Author Max Chafkin led a team of “Fast Company” reporters that spent months interviewing more than fifty former Apple execs and insiders, many of whom had never spoken publicly about their work. The result is a compelling and deeply revealing oral history of how design evolved at the most creative enterprise of our time, the company that one entrepreneur says “taught the world taste.”

In these interviews, former colleagues describe Jobs at his most brilliant and bombastic—hurling unsatisfactory products across the lab and insulting employees, yet also singling out and celebrating craftsmanship and original work. Without a doubt, Jobs is the single most important figure in the company’s history. But overlooked in Apple’s carefully cultivated mythology are the other ingenious men and women who’ve left an indelible mark on Apple, some of whom think they deserve much more of the credit. At Apple, the stakes were big, and so were the egos.

“Design Crazy” takes us behind the mystique and reveals Apple to be a deeply misunderstood company. And the greatest business story of the past two decades is far from over. Two years after the death of Steve Jobs, with many of his former colleagues now at startups like Tesla, Evernote, and Nest Labs, some think the end of Apple’s dominance is only a matter of time. The company has risen to the challenge before, but still the question Can Apple be Apple without Jobs?"

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Apple, Design, Biography

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2013

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jesus, this started so well, but at the end I just wanted to kill all these people.

[Arnold Saputra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all about testimony of apple ex employee, employee and third party that worked with Apple. This book decribe how strict, perfectionist, secretive is Apple doing bussinnes and develop product. Lot of people quit from Apple because, they're felt no freedom inside the company. After Steve Jobs died, more people is quit from Apple. They said Apple without Steve Jobs isn't gonna be the same and it's true. Until now(2016), Apple never built cool innovative product. They're too focus on sales and marketing.

[Prasanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short read. This goes into the post-Jobs-return design culture at Apple, as a narrative from various Apple employees. It's a great insight into the design culture of Apple. There weren't too many surprises, but the amusing facts about various employees and what they ended up building post-apple are pretty inspiring.

[Andrei · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a joke! This doesn't tell a story, it's not even a book, just a cut and spread of several interviews over a few chapters, whishfully highlighting difference concepts behind Apple's design; too segmented and painful to read, I stopped after 15 pages. I can only give credit to the introduction, which sells a too big promise for its content.

[Joe Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This article was a collection of short snippets of different individual recollections. The anecdotes were too short, by themselves, to be that interesting. Many of them were lacking the context necessary to turn them into stories and the author made no effort to supply that missing context and weave the anecdotes into a story. I can't recommend this.

[Shuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, great read. Anybody who is curious about Apple and it's great designs will enjoy reading it. Filled with anecdotes that will open your eyes to the genius and sometimes craziness of Apple and Steve Jobs in their pursuit of perfection in design and brand experience.

[Joel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a collection of verbatim statements from insiders at apple. Lacks any narrative. Failed to get insights from the most important designer at Apple, Jony Ive. I expected more when I purchased this. The only redeeming quality is that it is a short and easy read.

[Albert (US) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oral history of the inner workings of Apple aka People who want to get their name out there talk about their heydays at Apple. An interesting read nonetheless.

[Gereon Kåver · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first kindle singlet, built on quotes from former employees. Lacks a thread but
quite interesting.

[Franklin Hung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick easy read on the innovative culture at Apple and the pros and cons that come with it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snippets of interviews with key players more than a book. Enough behind-the-scenes anecdotes to stay interesting, an enough design philosophy to stay inspiring.

[Michael Camilleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine what would have happened if Walter Isaacson had done this kind of research. It's just a shame it's not longer.

[Abdurrabb Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

short read, enlightening perspectives.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick and informative read. Great focus on the process of product design at Apple.

[Hugh Springer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting collection of various contributors throughout the conversation.