Keep it Simple/Genial Einfach: The Early Design Years of Apple/Die frühen Designjahre von Apple

by Hartmut Esslinger

A comprehensive introduction to the success story of Apple from the viewpoint of Hartmut Esslinger; an outside designer who collaborated closely with Steve Jobs, responsible for the design of many of the most recognizable Apple products. An inside perspective that is a must for all Apple enthusiasts.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Apple, Technology, Business, Art

296 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2013

Reviews

[Steve Sarrica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following the Apple story since I first encountered a friend's Apple II+ in 1982. Hartmut Esslinger's perspective on the early days of Apple is invaluable. His sharing of the design concepts he and his team at frog design developed is invaluable. I'm sure he wouldn't put it this way, but he could characterize much of the interaction with Steve Jobs as "getting Steve to see my way on design". To be sure, this is not a bad thing. Getting see the rarely (or never before seen) designs that were developed and not marketed is a real treat. I would buy the final Jonathan and BigMac designs today. I do think that Esslinger tries too hard to take some share of the credit for Apple's later successes. He really doesn't need to. Anyone who looks at the designs he developed and the later designs that emerged from Apple after Jobs' return can make that connection for themselves. His insights on the management disfunction at the company before Jobs' ouster is fascinating (and all too familiar!). I wonder how much more interesting it would have been if the lawyers didn't have a chance to sanitize the text?

[Vuk Trifkovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read - mainly due to Esslinger's personality shining through. The short of it "Jobs was a genius, he worked with a bunch of numpties, of course Jobs was bound to shout a little".

Joking aside - it's nice insight into a design culture of a company before it was known for its design culture. For that - it's very worthy read.

Would love to read Esslinger's biography / retrospective one day.

[Codepoetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This autobiography contains plenty of glossy pages featuring the original design studies for many Apple products from the early 1980s, including the Apple II, Apple III, and Macintosh. I loved seeing the mockups of Apple's many products that never made it to market, including clunky tablets and phones. Despite the author's pedigree in design, this book's thin typeface is annoyingly difficult to read. Is that good design?

[Silly]

Its about design.

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great in-depth musings and documents by the founder of frog design on their legendary collaboration with Apple and Steve a jobs in the company's early days. Sometimes the author over sells their innovations, but it was a treat to see the in-progress design concepts and more insight into the world of industrial design there. Surprisingly thorough assessments of the corporate culture of that era's Apple, and how the company struggled to. Reorganize itself around design as a grinding tenet. Jobs obviously got it much more right his second time around. Recommended for thoughtful designers and Apple geeks.

[Brian Bek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the design of the early apple products and how the design decisions that time continue to affect the new products. The history of apple as seen from one who was there.

[Martin Note · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much like an alternate history of what products early Apple could have released. I hope there is a retro sci fi film that uses some of these designs