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Insanely Simple: The Obsession that Drives Apple's Success Audiobook
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(3.03) - 536 listener ratings
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To Steve Jobs, Simplicity was a religion. It was also a weapon. Simplicity isn’t just a design principle at Apple—it’s a value that permeates every level of the organization. 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. Thanks to Steve Jobs’s uncompromising ways, you can see Simplicity in everything Apple does: the way it’s structured, the way it innovates, and the way it speaks to its customers. It’s by crushing the forces of Complexity that the company remains on its stellar trajectory. As ad agency creative director, Ken Segall played a key role in Apple’s resurrection, helping to create such critical marketing campaigns as Think different. By naming the iMac, he also laid the foundation for naming waves of i-products to come. Segall has a unique perspective, given his years of experience creating campaigns for other iconic tech companies, including IBM, Intel, and Dell. It was the stark contrast of Apple’s ways that made Segall appreciate the power of Simplicity—and inspired him to help others benefit from it.
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"Written by a long time Apple creative director, this book is full of fun and interesting stories about Steve's obsession with simplicity. There are cool stories about Apple's marketing, packaging, branding, and ad campaigns."
— Kate (4 out of 5 stars)
Insanely Simple Listener Reviews
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" Great insight into some of the goings-on at Steve Jobs' Apple marketing meetings. However the book could have been shorter and thereby simpler. "
— Rose, 2/20/2014 -
" Good advice and great anecdotes. "
— Mark, 2/10/2014 -
" It's a good perspective on a great man's obsession. The principles are sound, but like any of these books, it's what you take away from the stories and apply to your own life that's important. "
— Peter, 2/7/2014 -
" Lots of thought provoking ideas are presented in Ken's book. If you are a person who gets caught up in nuance, to the point of being ineffective, then this may be a book for you. Beware the Simple Stick! "
— Todd, 1/28/2014 -
" This book isn't a Steve Jobs biography but it describes the principles he followed in business to be great. A must read for anyone who admires Steve Jobs and wants to know more about how he worked. "
— Gabriel, 1/11/2014 -
" Almost seems like an eulogy to Steve Jobs! Other than some juicy insights into Apple's marketing and work ethic, the rest is 'simply' repetitive. "
— Tanuja, 12/31/2013 -
" It's nothing you couldn't guess yourself written dryly. "
— Michael, 12/26/2013 -
" Some great stories in here. Unfortunately, it often feels like Ken is on the outside looking in. Plus the book is poorly organized with stories repeated. It would have been better organized chronologically. "
— Tom, 12/8/2013 -
" Has some good stories about Steve Jobs but is somewhat repetitive otherwise. Simplicity always wins over complexity and the trick is to recognize when you're beginning complex. That's it. "
— Ann, 9/1/2013 -
" This does a much better job of describing Steve Jobs and his work than Issacson's biography. Sad. "
— Brandon, 6/30/2013 -
" It is quite surprising to see the extent Apple embraced simplicity. This is their "secret in plain sight", yet a lot of people just don't get it. "
— Iman, 6/14/2013 -
" Inspiring look at Jobs and Apple from a different perspective. "
— Brett, 5/6/2013 -
" Incredibly poorly edited book. Some amusing anecdotes. "
— Kimberley, 4/28/2013 -
" Happy Simplification. "
— Alesa, 2/5/2013 -
" I like the idea of simplicity, also fun to watch the mentioned commercials on YouTube. "
— Patrik, 12/25/2012 -
" Overall the book made valid points by showing the flaws in the regular business world compared to Apple, although some chapters would love a hit by the simple stick. "
— Sophie, 11/21/2012 -
" Some interesting bits, but on a whole it was just a bit too boringly written. Took an effort to get through. Steve Jobs was very interesting. "
— Wilf, 8/27/2012 -
" Very interesting, with some good war stories. "
— Dave, 7/18/2012 -
" not an apple fanboy tome, this is an incredible resource for those who feel that "complexity" is the major enemy of a productive life. "
— stefan, 6/16/2012