Insanely Simple
The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success
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4.4 • 87 Ratings
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- £7.99
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
'Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end, because once you get there, you can move mountains'
Steve Jobs, BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998
To Steve Jobs, Simplicity wasn't just a design principle. It was a religion and a weapon. The obsession with Simplicity is what separates Apple from other technology companies. It's what helped Apple recover from near death in 1997 to become the most valuable company on Earth in 2011, and guides the way Apple is organized, how it designs products, and how it connects with customers. It's by crushing the forces of Complexity that the company remains on its stellar trajectory.
As creative director, Ken Segall played a key role in Apple's resurrection, helping to create such critical campaigns as 'Think Different' and naming the iMac. Insanely Simple is his insider's view of Jobs' world. It reveals the ten elements of Simplicity that have driven Apple's success - which you can use to propel your own organisation. Reading Insanely Simple, you'll be a fly on the wall inside a conference room with Steve Jobs, and on the receiving end of his midnight phone calls. You'll understand how his obsession with Simplicity helped Apple perform better and faster.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this captivating book, Segall (who worked with Jobs as agency creative director for NeXT and Apple and named the iMac) has succeeded in distilling what made Steve Jobs succeed in ways no one would have imagined simplicity. The idea of going simple, and Jobs's obsession with it, is neither a set of rules nor a goal, but a worldview of how things should be and should proceed. Presenting simple from almost every angle (advertising slogans, product names, product lines, group sizes), Segall shows how simple has propelled Apple, creating powerful changes within the company. Contrast this with the path of complexity, of which Segall offers plenty of examples from companies such as Intel, Microsoft, and Dell. More practical than theoretical, this essential book is about "using the power of Simplicity to set a company apart." Readers will appreciate personal stories about Jobs, which contribute to the narrative of Jobs the icon, and the role simplicity played in his success.
Customer Reviews
Short, simple and useful
For anyone who thinks simple is good and hates complexity you probably have already read this book. For everyone else it might be worth thinking about reading it and following some of the principles!
Not worth it
Got the impression that the author is boasting about what he did. "I know this" ..."I suggested..." etc.
Far from Simple
The author spends the first 40 pages on bumbling waffle, trying over and over again to explain what the book is about. Completely unnecessary preamble, and annoyingly repetitive.
An awkward read, and far from Insanely Simple.