In just a few days time, on Monday next week, the much anticipated biography of Steve Jobs will be released - today a number of media organisations were given advance copies of the book and have now shared some details about the book and what Jobs reveals about himself. Both The New York Times and the Associated Press start off their articles by discussing an excerpt from the book in which Jobs reveals that he delayed surgery for nine months after discovering he had a neurendocrine tumour. It’s a relatively rare form of pancreatic cancer that typically grows more slowly and is generally more treatable. Jobs delayed the treatment in favour of alternative methods from a vegan diet to acupuncture and even visited a psychic before deciding to have surgery in July 2004.
Isaacson, quoting Jobs, writes in the book: “`I really didn’t want them to open up my body, so I tried to see if a few other things would work,’ he told me years later with a hint of regret.
The book covers a wide variety of topics from Jobs’ life from his personal relationships, work at Apple, relationships with competitors such as Bill Gates and Eric Schmidt amongst many other topics. In its article, the AP reveals details about a section of the book which describes “the unravelling of Jobs’ relationship with Eric Schmidt”. Jobs was apparently furious when HTC released a phone in January 2010 that contained many of the popular features of the iPhone. He believed that Google’s actions amounted to “grand theft” and as a result Apple sued.
I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,” Jobs said. “I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.
The New York Times also includes a more interesting detail about how Jobs’ attention to detail extended to nearly everything, from planning and approving every detail in his medical treatment to a luxury yacht he began designing in 2009. The boat isn’t yet finished but in a style reminiscent of Apple Stores across the world, its sleek and minimalist and features 40-foot-long glass walls.
Fascinatingly the Huffington Post writes that in the biography, Jobs reveals that he had offered to design political ads for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign - despite being “highly critical” of the administration’s policies. In a meeting with Obama in the fall of 2010, Jobs told him that “you’re headed for a one-term presidency”, insisting the president be more business friendly. Jobs gave the example of high regulations and unnecessary costs of opening up a factory in the US compared to China.
Jobs later told the author that he wanted to do for Obama what the legendary “morning in America” ads did for Ronald Reagan.
You can read more about the biography from the full New York Times or Associated Press articles and you can pre-order the book from Amazon, iBookstore and many other places. The full biography is released on Monday next week.
