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Books/History,Biography-4

STEVE JOBS & THE NeXT BIG THING
The road of Steve Jobs

In September 1985, NeXT, founded by Jobs, obtained a perfect logo design with four letters aligned in a black cube inclined at 28 degrees paying a design fee of 100,000 dollars to Yale University professor Paul Land announced NeXT CUBE on October 12, 1988. Considering the education market in mind, although this was the machine with a great design and an advanced OS based on UNIX, even though it was prepared a production system of 120,000 units a year, it was not accepted at all in the market the reason why it cost $ 9,995 ($ 6500 for the education market), was poor speed, and does not support color. After that NeXT continued with the launch of NeXT Station in September 1990 and the release of NEXTSTEP 486 in January 1992, but in February 1993, the company dismissed a large number of employees, become concentrating on software development and sales. In this book, Jobs and NeXT company's movements are drawn clearly, and at the beginning there is a calm analysis of the role of Jobs at Apple. Author Randall E. Stross got a doctorate in history from Stanford University. There are 360 ​​annotations and a bibliography list at the end of this book, which supports the author's fair character and characterizes this book.

NeXT was bought by Apple at February 1997 for $ 427 million. After all, NeXT had only gained the profit of $ 1.03 million from the revenue of $ 49.5 million in 1994, and this company which was suffering a loss of about 50 million dollars from 1993 to the middle of 1996, assist with the failure of Apple’s new OS development, all products, services and technical research ware part of Apple at favorable conditions, leading to the subsequent return of Jobs to Apple.
The first edition of the United States contains photographs of jobs, related personnel, factory production line of NeXT company, etc. Some unusual photos such as taken at the stairway of Jobs' home at the end of 1991 with Bill Gates (not posted in Japanese version for some reason).

STEVE JOBS & THE NeXT BIG THING, published in 1993, by Randall E. Stross, AHENEUM Macmillan Publishing Company, 374 pages, B5 version.
The road of Steve Jobs, published in January 1995, by Randall E. Stross, translated by Hiroki Saito, AI Publishing, 472 pages, version A5.

 

STEVEN JOBS COMPUTER GENIUS

One book of a series of Masters of Invention introducing scientists, inventors, and engineers, probably for higher grades of elementary students. The movements of Jobs until about 1992, or "Birth to childhood, Apple foundation and frustration, Next company's founding and marriage" are written briefly in plain English. Childhood is an illustration, and after the founding of Apple, a large number of large-sized color photographs are inserted and we can enjoy turning around the book. Characteristic is that “Steven Jobs” unifies the name notation.
I knew the existence of the book for a long time but it was an exorbitant price with premier, and it could not be obtained, but in February 2004 I bought it as a dead　stock in a major mail order company. Although it seems that the price of $ 48.60 + shipping fee is slightly higher with only 48 page books, It has become a convenient world when I tap the keyboard of Mac Cube in the room, I can easily search worldwide and purchase new books, dead stocks and secondhand books.

Published in 1993, by Laurie Rozakis, Rourke Enterprises, Inc., 48 pages, A5 edition.

STEVE WOZNIAK A WIZARD CALLED WOZ

The title was a parody by L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz”. According to the postscript, it seems that it was written as a book that was used as a text for children in summer school in 1992 at Manhattan Beach in California. For children, plain sentences describe Woz's half - life leading to a success of personal computer. Contents after Two Steves are ordinary, but amateur radio skill in childhood, computer and mathematical genius are drawn for the first time. A lot of pictures are also posted, including pictures with brothers and winning photos at the Bay Area Science Fair on papers on Parallel Computing at the age of 12. He also referred to the movement after Apple's retirement in 1983 (company establishment with Nolan Bushnell) and living with his family.

Published in 1994, Rebecca Gold, Lerner Publications Company, 72 pages, 210 mm × 170 mm.

JOBS & WOZNIAK
CREATING THE APPLE COMPUTER

Picture book for children. It seems to be for upper grades of elementary school. Two boys like electronics meet each other, departing from the garage of Jobs, it is made the picture book focusing on the process of creating and developing a company, it also depicts the episodes such as US Festival produced by Woz in 1982, UCLA's graduation in 86 and later movement, Jobs' NeXT company establishment and marriage in 1991.
The sentences are plain for the children, the content was boldly omitted, but it can be enjoyed. Illustrations are drawn by an artist named James Spence. It is too bad that while people are drawn fine as well as seen on the cover, hardware pictures are incorrect as Apple II is in the style of Macintosh.

Published in 1994, by Keith Elliot Greenberg, James Spence painting, Blackbirtch Press, Inc., 48 pages, 240 mm × 200 mm.

INSANELY GREAT
The Macintosh story

タイトルの"Insanly Great"はジョブスの「ごう慢だと思われると心外なんだが、僕らが今作っているこの代物は、画期的なな製品になると確信しているんだ。身体中が感じるんだ『めちゃくちゃすごい』(Insanely Great)ものができるって」に由来する。 "Insanely Great" in the title is derived from Jobs' speech "Although I regret that I am arrogant to you, I am convinced that we are making now will be a groundbreaking product. I feel in my body to be produced something insanely great". At the beginning, the author said that he first met the developing Macintosh in November 1983, " Anyway I was shocked enough to feel dizzy". About 1 year and a half after in March 1985 I bought DynaMac (Japanese version Mac512K) and started using it, my feeling at the time overlaps with the impression of the author. A man-machine interface designed to minimize human error, such as mouse, window, font and the finder design of clock showing processing etc. I felt marvelous sense and taste from the compact machine came from US.

This book is described a story following the step from development of Macintosh, release, and development of hardware and software the development to the beginning of the 1990s.

Author Steven Levy is also known as " Hacker's " computer and high-tech columnist , also known as "Artificial Life" depicting artificial intelligence research and robotics research. This book is based on the author's article written in a magazine such as Popular Computing, Macworld, Harper's, Rolling Stone.
Upper right (yellow cover) is Paperback of British publication. At the end of the book, "Postscript" by the author has been added referring to the article on PowerMac of May and June 1984, which traced footprints and impressions of Power Mac development ten years after the development of Macintosh. "Hackers" in 1983 is a magnificent historical book summarizing the development of hardware and software, mainly by the hackers' mobilization from the 50's to the 1980's, whereas this 10-year-after book, it makes me feel his change during 10 years which was gathered up with the soft style of some light to read, but I realize that there are also many parts that I consent when I read it again.

INSANELY GREAT: 1994 publication, Steven Levy, VIKING PENGUIN, 292 pages, A5 edition.

マッキントシュ物語：1994年2月刊、Steven Levy著、 武舎広幸訳、翔泳社、316ページ、A5版。 Mackintosh story, published in February 1994, by Steven Levy, translated by Hiroyuki Musha, Shoeisha , 316 pages, A5 version.
INSANELY GREAT INSANELY GREAT: 1995, published by Steven Levy, PENGUIN BOOKS, 312 pages, Paperback.

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