I don't know why it took so long for me to get around to reading this book because it is absolutely fascinating. It seems to have been meticulously researched, documented, and notated. Looks like just about anybody associated with Steve Jobs was interviewed.
The most fascinating section of the book, to me, was the story of how Gil Amelio came to select NeXTStep as the new Mac OS. I had always known about BeOS and Sun being in the running but I didn't know that Bill Gates was in there pitching Windows NT. He called Amelio and tried to convince him that Microsoft could port Windows NT to the Mac! I can't even begin to imagine what that would have done to Apple.
If even half of this book is true then it is apparent that Steve Jobs was, and may still be, a real prick. But he is also a certified business genius with an unwavering sense of what the next big thing is. With Apple now worth six times what Dell is who can argue.
Anyway, if anyone else has read iCon I would be interested in your opinion.
