"Apple Confidential 2.0"

Author	:	Owen W. Linzmayer
Publisher	:	No Starch Press
Price	:	RM 61
Rating	:

"Apple Confidential 2.0" chronicles the best and worst of Apple Computer, from the garage beginnings and the creation of the Macintosh to the colourful CEOs (that nearly destroyed the company) and the iPod phenomenon.

Linzmayer covers almost every aspect of Apple, starting with the teaming up of the two Steves - Jobs and Wozniak. He has unearthed all the important facts to give the reader a detailed picture of what went on throughout the 30-year history of the company.

For example, Wozniak remembers when Steve Jobs first suggested the name 'Apple Computer' to him:

"Maybe he (Jobs) worked in apple trees. I didn't even ask. Maybe the idea just occurred based upon Apple Records. He had been a musical person, like many technical people are. It might have sounded good partly because of that connotation. I thought instantly, 'We're going to have a lot of copyright problems.'"

Even though Linzmayer focuses on all the key personalities, the unsung heroes like Wozniak and Jef Raskin (the original creator of the Macintosh) are given their due recognition whereas one gets the impression that Steve Jobs is not a nice guy. Biasness on Linzmayer's part or just plain truth? He even includes quotes such as:

"People think I'm an asshole, don't they?" (Steve Jobs)

It is only in the very last chapter, where the story covers the current successes of the company, that the genius of Jobs is highlighted.

It goes without saying that "Apple Confidential 2.0" also provides details of every major hardware and software Apple developed, from the triumphs of the Macintosh and OS X to the failure of the Newton. These are illustrated with useful timelines that keep things in perspective.

Completing the book are chapters on NeXT and Pixar (Jobs' involvements outside Apple), code names used for hardware before they were released (e.g. the PowerBook G4 was known as Onyx, Xserve was Moses, and iLife was Tropicana), the story behind the infamous '1984' commercial, and even a chapter on Windows.

Even though it essentially tells the history of Apple Computer, "Apple Confidential 2.0" is not presented in a chronological format. Each chapter focuses on a specific topic and can be read on its own without having to go through the book from start to finish. Though some may find this an interesting style, I found it a little irritating at times because it can cause confusion - e.g. the events of an upcoming chapter occurred before the events of the chapter you are currently reading!

But apart from that one small niggle, this is an exceptional book, overflowing with fascinating facts and the minutest of details. If there's only one book on Apple that you read, make sure it's this one.

"Apple Confidential" was originally published in 1999. This 2004 second edition has been substantially revised and contains over 60 pages of new material.

Author Owen W. Linzmayer is a user-interface designer and freelance writer who has covered Apple Computer for over two decades. He is the author of four Mac-related books and has contributed to every major Apple II and Macintosh publication.