Owen Linzmayer's Apple Confidential is subtitled The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc., and while nobody will ever know the complete, "real" story about Apple, Linzmayer's is probably as close as they come. Having covered Apple news since 1980, he offers extensive insider details about Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Gilbert Amelio, Bill Gates, and other major players whose lives were (and are) intertwined with Apple's history. And along the way, we also learn about lesser-known figures whose stories have remained hidden in the Apple myth: Ronald Gerald Wayne, for example, who was actually a partner with Wozniak and Jobs in the original incarnation of the company, but who sold his share when he realized he would be financially vulnerable if it should fail.

Linzmayer's tale does have a few drawbacks. Because he mixes a chronological narrative with chapters that focus on key points in the Apple story, he sometimes repeats himself. Case in point: the chapter "Big Bad Blunders" makes a great record of Apple's failures, but the story of the exploding Powerbook 5300s is duplicated at later points. Nonetheless, Apple Confidential is rife with gems that will appeal to Apple fanatics and followers of the computer industry. Especially enjoyable are the revelation of "Easter eggs" that are hidden in several versions of the Mac operating system; the many screen shots, timelines, and telling quotes from Jobs, Gates, Wozniak and others that populate the margins and concluding sections of each chapter; the "Code Names Uncovered" section that makes public the monikers of several secret Apple projects; and Bill Gates's 1985 letter to John Sculley and Jean Louis Gassee pleading for Apple to license Mac technology and develop a "standard personal computer." --Patrick O'Kelley


From Library Journal
For your Mac community, you can't go wrong with these titles. Linzmayer's Apple Confidential is an unofficial history of Apple and a great read. Pogue's MacWorld Mac Secrets explains all the oddities about any Mac still in use, while his iMac guide follows the format of the "Dummies" series. Poole's MacWorld Mac OS 8.5 Bible completely explains Mac 8.5, the newest operating system upgrade. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times Book Review, April 4th, 1999
The Apple story . . . in all its drama


From Book News, Inc.
Linzmayer (a user-interface designer and journalist) recounts the history of the Apple corporation, from its humble beginnings in its founder's garage to the latest innovations. The book tells of the difficulties of creating the original Mac, details the development of many computers and systems since then, and provides a timeline for every Mac model. It also profiles the company's CEOs and its most influential designers.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


MacGuide, February 2004
"a must have purchase for the obsessive Apple fan"


bityard, February 2004
"Apple Confidential 2.0 is by far one of the best books I have read on the subject."


PC Pro, May 2004
"an enthralling read."


macteens.com, March 2004
"Linzmayer's entertaining and irreverent sense of humor makes it a real treat for anybody even remotely interested in the Mac."


Technology & Society, March 2004
"a frank and honest portrayal of the company and its cast of characters over the past 3 decades."


Northern Vermont Macintosh User Group, February 2004
"[a] book that every Apple enthusiast would enjoy reading"


Alaskan Apple Users Group, March 2004
"For the geekiest among us, who worship at The Altar of Macintosh ... this could be our Bible"


MacDevCenter.com, April 27, 2004
"If you're a member of the Mac faithful or just moderately interested in [Apple], you simply must buy this book."


Herald Sun, June 9, 2004
"a cracking read ... not just for Mac aficionados"


About This Particular Macintosh, June 2004
"Linzmayer is an excellent writer ... his easy-to-read style will keep you turning the pages."


Book Description
Apple Confidential examines the tumultuous history of America’s best-known Silicon Valley start-up – from its legendary founding almost 30 years ago, through a series of disastrous executive decisions, to its return to profitability, and including Apple’s recent move into the music business. Linzmayer digs into forgotten archives and interviews the key players to give readers the real story of Apple Computer, Inc. This updated and expanded edition includes tons of new photos, timelines, and charts, as well as coverage of new lawsuit battles, updates on former Apple executives, and new chapters on Steve Wozniak and Pixar.


Book Info
Explores Apple's tumultuous history, from its legendary founding, through a series of disastrous executive decisions, to its recent return to profitability. Softcover. DLC: Apple Computer, Inc.--History.


Card catalog description
In Apple Confidential, Journalist Owen Linzmayer explores Apple's tumultuous history, from its legendary founding, through a series of disastrous executive decisions, to its recent return to profitability. Backed by exhaustive research, the book debunks many of the myths and half-truths surrounding Apple, the Macintosh, and its creators. Linzmayer looks into secret archives, interviews key players, and tells the real stories behind the hype.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Few companies are as endlessly fascinating as Apple. If you want to know Apple￯﾿ﾽs real history -- absent the ￯﾿ﾽreality distortion field￯﾿ﾽ -- it￯﾿ﾽs finally been written.

Apple Confidential pulls no punches. Owen Linzmayer reveals how Steve Jobs cheated Steve Wozniak on one of their first business deals (if Wozniak had realized, Apple might never have been launched). You￯﾿ﾽll learn why Apple￯﾿ﾽs 1984 commercial almost never ran; why so many pundits predicted the Mac would fail; what it took to deliver OS X; how Apple rose, and fell, and rose again. If you￯﾿ﾽre passionate about your Mac, or the company that made it, this one￯﾿ﾽs a must-read. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2003 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Apple Confidential 2.0 chronicles the best and the worst of Apple Computer's remarkable story. Follow the company as it grows from upstart media darling to industry-leading powerhouse, falters under a series of disastrous executive decisions, takes its licks as technology whipping boy, and rebounds to profitability through innovation." This substantially revised second edition contains over 60 pages of new material, including several completely new or greatly revised chapters, as well as hundreds of fresh photos, illustrations, quotes, and timelines.

SYNOPSIS