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Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success
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 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.
In 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, sometimes saving millions in the process. You’ll also learn, for example, how
• Think Distilling choices to a minimum brings clarity to a company and its customers—as Jobs proved when he replaced over twenty product models with a lineup of four.
• Think Swearing allegiance to the concept of “small groups of smart people” raises both morale and productivity.
• Think Keeping project teams in constant motion focuses creative thinking on well-defined goals and minimizes distractions.
• Think Using a simple, powerful image to symbolize the benefit of a product or idea creates a deeper impression in the minds of customers.
• Think Giving yourself an unfair advantage—using every weapon at your disposal—is the best way to ensure that your ideas survive unscathed.
Segall brings Apple’s quest for Simplicity to life using fascinating (and previously untold) stories from behind the scenes. Through his insight and wit, you’ll discover how companies that leverage this power can stand out from competitors—and individuals who master it can become critical assets to their organizations.
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 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.
In 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, sometimes saving millions in the process. You’ll also learn, for example, how
• Think Distilling choices to a minimum brings clarity to a company and its customers—as Jobs proved when he replaced over twenty product models with a lineup of four.
• Think Swearing allegiance to the concept of “small groups of smart people” raises both morale and productivity.
• Think Keeping project teams in constant motion focuses creative thinking on well-defined goals and minimizes distractions.
• Think Using a simple, powerful image to symbolize the benefit of a product or idea creates a deeper impression in the minds of customers.
• Think Giving yourself an unfair advantage—using every weapon at your disposal—is the best way to ensure that your ideas survive unscathed.
Segall brings Apple’s quest for Simplicity to life using fascinating (and previously untold) stories from behind the scenes. Through his insight and wit, you’ll discover how companies that leverage this power can stand out from competitors—and individuals who master it can become critical assets to their organizations.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
599 people are currently reading
7,775 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 341 reviews
July 22, 2012
Could have used some editing. For a book espousing the advantages of "Simplicity", it could have used some chopping. He basically makes the same point about 15 times before launching into some interesting stories. 100 pages of good stuff, 100 pages of fluff.
May 9, 2012
Of all of the books jumping on the Steve Jobs bandwagon, this is perhaps the one that’s most of value.
This is perhaps the one management book which has really resonated with me since Don Peppers and Martha Rogers’ The One-To-One Future. Let’s face it, that’s not great: that was published in 1996.
I’m old enough to have worked for organisations both large and small – as an employee and as an outside supplier. It can be frustrating to be working for an organisation that has a core of brilliance but somehow can’t get things done – this book explains the one simple reason why this is often the case: they can’t do things in a simple way.
The book’s author, Ken Segall, worked as a marketing provider to Apple – and, at the same time, Intel, Dell and other large IT companies. It’s essentially the story of what makes Apple such a force to be reckoned with – but isn’t merely a sanctification of Steve Jobs.
Yes, Steve is mentioned aplenty and is usually the centre of the many examples given. But while it touches on many of the facets of Steve’s character which made him so successful, it focuses on one thing which almost anyone can do to improve their business – yet, will find an incredibly difficult and elusive concept to implement: simplicity.
Steve was often regarded as ruthless. Although there’s some truth in that, it’s probably better to say that he was single-minded. He wanted to get things done – and he often wanted to get them done fast. He didn’t like to hear the word ‘no’.
Well, we’ve all worked with managers who think that’s the right way to move a company forward, that without their aggression, people simply wouldn’t do their best. Steve’s single-mindedness wasn’t like that. He often knew that there was a better way and he provided a means to get there. He demanded simplicity.
Steve himself said that simplicity is hard to achieve. Segall’s book tells the journey of a marketing man working with Steve Jobs as he struggled to rebuild his massively broken former empire.
In big-company terms, some of the stories are amazing – such as when Steve returned to Apple and decided that it needed a branding campaign. After all, the company’s brand was in the gutter. Yet Apple had never run a campaign that was only about brand, ever. What was aired was one of the greatest campaigns of all time – the Apple ‘here’s to the crazy ones’ commercial, which was the spearhead for the company’s ‘think different’ brand campaign.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Anyone who’s ever tried to get a brand campaign running will tell you how hard it can be. First, the company has to understand its own values. Then, it has to work out the smartest way to communicate them. Steve wanted, needed, his campaign to be done fast. It took around a month – a simply astonishing amount of time.
The book contrasts this with Dell, who, after six months, still hadn’t worked out what it stood for; it hadn’t even got off the starting blocks. The book also contrasts Apple with Intel, which stifles creativity and strong ideas with the overuse of focus groups, which dilute ideas until they are not only inoffensive, they are ineffective. Or, the excessive use of testing analytics to remove any element of risk – and most elements of impact.
Apple never uses focus groups. Ever. It’s smart enough to know a good idea when it sees one and has the confidence to run with it. When it makes a mistake (such as the round ‘puck’ mouse), it admits that mistake – and moves on quickly. This sounds arrogant, but the point is that not only does Apple trust itself, it knows how to keep things simple. It runs major meetings as conversations, not as presentations. Decision-making teams often number just two or three people; if you’re not absolutely needed at a meeting, you won’t be invited. If you turn up anyway, you’ll be ejected. Apple – not just Jobs – is ruthless about simplicity.
Other companies believe that large project teams mean more brains on the job. Apple knows that this means more points of view, more conversations, more meetings, more cost, more delays – and a watered-down concept.
Other companies believe in inclusivity. That getting the ‘wider view’ will win hearts and minds. Apple believes in secrecy – that they have the knowledge, the smarts, the energy needed to make something really great that will win hearts and minds all on its own. Apple knows that the wider your outside involvement, the more people you have to please – and the less focused the idea.
Apple’s obsession reaches into every aspect of what it does, including having teams working in secret to create packaging that delights people before the product is even pulled from the box. Other companies simply buy the cheapest brown pulp boxes they can.
Apple is now one of the most profitable companies in the world. It makes more money than most other computer companies combined, despite not having the largest market share. Its products reshape markets. That isn’t magic – it’s damned hard work and a passion about one thing: simplicity.
This is one book every business leader should read. Many will read it with envy, unable to envisage how they can possibly change the culture of their organisation into one that’s both as empowered and as empowering – and therefore so effective.
Here’s to the crazy people.
This is perhaps the one management book which has really resonated with me since Don Peppers and Martha Rogers’ The One-To-One Future. Let’s face it, that’s not great: that was published in 1996.
I’m old enough to have worked for organisations both large and small – as an employee and as an outside supplier. It can be frustrating to be working for an organisation that has a core of brilliance but somehow can’t get things done – this book explains the one simple reason why this is often the case: they can’t do things in a simple way.
The book’s author, Ken Segall, worked as a marketing provider to Apple – and, at the same time, Intel, Dell and other large IT companies. It’s essentially the story of what makes Apple such a force to be reckoned with – but isn’t merely a sanctification of Steve Jobs.
Yes, Steve is mentioned aplenty and is usually the centre of the many examples given. But while it touches on many of the facets of Steve’s character which made him so successful, it focuses on one thing which almost anyone can do to improve their business – yet, will find an incredibly difficult and elusive concept to implement: simplicity.
Steve was often regarded as ruthless. Although there’s some truth in that, it’s probably better to say that he was single-minded. He wanted to get things done – and he often wanted to get them done fast. He didn’t like to hear the word ‘no’.
Well, we’ve all worked with managers who think that’s the right way to move a company forward, that without their aggression, people simply wouldn’t do their best. Steve’s single-mindedness wasn’t like that. He often knew that there was a better way and he provided a means to get there. He demanded simplicity.
Steve himself said that simplicity is hard to achieve. Segall’s book tells the journey of a marketing man working with Steve Jobs as he struggled to rebuild his massively broken former empire.
In big-company terms, some of the stories are amazing – such as when Steve returned to Apple and decided that it needed a branding campaign. After all, the company’s brand was in the gutter. Yet Apple had never run a campaign that was only about brand, ever. What was aired was one of the greatest campaigns of all time – the Apple ‘here’s to the crazy ones’ commercial, which was the spearhead for the company’s ‘think different’ brand campaign.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Anyone who’s ever tried to get a brand campaign running will tell you how hard it can be. First, the company has to understand its own values. Then, it has to work out the smartest way to communicate them. Steve wanted, needed, his campaign to be done fast. It took around a month – a simply astonishing amount of time.
The book contrasts this with Dell, who, after six months, still hadn’t worked out what it stood for; it hadn’t even got off the starting blocks. The book also contrasts Apple with Intel, which stifles creativity and strong ideas with the overuse of focus groups, which dilute ideas until they are not only inoffensive, they are ineffective. Or, the excessive use of testing analytics to remove any element of risk – and most elements of impact.
Apple never uses focus groups. Ever. It’s smart enough to know a good idea when it sees one and has the confidence to run with it. When it makes a mistake (such as the round ‘puck’ mouse), it admits that mistake – and moves on quickly. This sounds arrogant, but the point is that not only does Apple trust itself, it knows how to keep things simple. It runs major meetings as conversations, not as presentations. Decision-making teams often number just two or three people; if you’re not absolutely needed at a meeting, you won’t be invited. If you turn up anyway, you’ll be ejected. Apple – not just Jobs – is ruthless about simplicity.
Other companies believe that large project teams mean more brains on the job. Apple knows that this means more points of view, more conversations, more meetings, more cost, more delays – and a watered-down concept.
Other companies believe in inclusivity. That getting the ‘wider view’ will win hearts and minds. Apple believes in secrecy – that they have the knowledge, the smarts, the energy needed to make something really great that will win hearts and minds all on its own. Apple knows that the wider your outside involvement, the more people you have to please – and the less focused the idea.
Apple’s obsession reaches into every aspect of what it does, including having teams working in secret to create packaging that delights people before the product is even pulled from the box. Other companies simply buy the cheapest brown pulp boxes they can.
Apple is now one of the most profitable companies in the world. It makes more money than most other computer companies combined, despite not having the largest market share. Its products reshape markets. That isn’t magic – it’s damned hard work and a passion about one thing: simplicity.
This is one book every business leader should read. Many will read it with envy, unable to envisage how they can possibly change the culture of their organisation into one that’s both as empowered and as empowering – and therefore so effective.
Here’s to the crazy people.
April 25, 2014
Like most people who work at the intersection of programming and user experience, I am a big fan of simple. Because of this I thought this book would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, I was so wrong that I had to put this book down after getting only half way through it.
My main problem with the book is that this book never really defines, or even seems to have a good understanding of, what the term Simple means. In the end this is not a book about simplicity, it is a book about how much the author loved his experience of working at Apple. There is nothing wrong with this of course, and there is much to admire in Apple's work, but if you think this book will help you understand how to create insanely simple products like those from Apple you will be disappointed because to the author, "simple" appears to mean "whatever Apple does".
As an example, the author's first main push about simplicity is 'always have small meetings'. This may be a great rule, but I don't really think it is about simplicity or complexity in any meaningful way. Another example: the author likes to throw out true-isms in the form of 'simple is ____' and an early one is 'simple does not tolerate taming a bucking bronco'. Is this really supposed to inform me about the nature of simplicity?
In the end this book was not worth my time to finish, and I did not get much out of what I did read.
My main problem with the book is that this book never really defines, or even seems to have a good understanding of, what the term Simple means. In the end this is not a book about simplicity, it is a book about how much the author loved his experience of working at Apple. There is nothing wrong with this of course, and there is much to admire in Apple's work, but if you think this book will help you understand how to create insanely simple products like those from Apple you will be disappointed because to the author, "simple" appears to mean "whatever Apple does".
As an example, the author's first main push about simplicity is 'always have small meetings'. This may be a great rule, but I don't really think it is about simplicity or complexity in any meaningful way. Another example: the author likes to throw out true-isms in the form of 'simple is ____' and an early one is 'simple does not tolerate taming a bucking bronco'. Is this really supposed to inform me about the nature of simplicity?
In the end this book was not worth my time to finish, and I did not get much out of what I did read.
December 4, 2022
Interesting and easy-to-read take on Steve Jobs and Apple from a marketer's perspective. However, I found it really distasteful how he criticized and shared negative insider details about his former clients, particularly Dell. I felt he broke the consultant's unspoken code of conduct. He also shared an anecdote where he let a colleague fail miserably in front of Steve Jobs and, in Segall's own words "So I started doing what any brave advertising guy would do: I made sure I sat outside the line of fire."
If you can get past those negatives, the book contains some great stories about Steve Jobs (Segall worked with him on and off for 12 years) and summarizes Segall's distillation of what made Jobs and Apple so successful.
Key highlights:
* Any company is going to experience both success and failure, especially if you're focused on innovating. Steve Jobs believed in the concept of the "brand bank." Your brand is like a bank account. When you do great things - a fabulous new product/service - you get deposits in the brand bank. When you fail, you see a withdrawal. As long as you have a healthy balance in the brand bank, customers are more willing to ride out the tough times. But if you've let the balance run too low, customers are more likely to be really angry or worse, tempted to head for the hills.
* If you're going to try and adopt the value of Simplicity, you have to do it across all of your actions, from how you communicate (minimize your proposition and talk the way humans do, not in marketing speak), to how you operate (small teams are better and you have to have the key decision maker involved throughout the process, not at the end), to what you offer (don't make things more complicated than they need to be by offering too many options - something which is a huge problem when you are trying to buy a PC).
* I loved the story of how the Think Different campaign came into being. It's such an iconic campaign that has stood the test of time and there's a reason for that. It embraces and communicates the core values of Apple. Segall shares the speech that Jobs gave to employees when he unveiled the campaign. It's thought by many to be the perfect presentation about the power of brands.
Overall, the book does a great job of inspiring you to look and see how you can champion Simplicity in your own career.
If you can get past those negatives, the book contains some great stories about Steve Jobs (Segall worked with him on and off for 12 years) and summarizes Segall's distillation of what made Jobs and Apple so successful.
Key highlights:
* Any company is going to experience both success and failure, especially if you're focused on innovating. Steve Jobs believed in the concept of the "brand bank." Your brand is like a bank account. When you do great things - a fabulous new product/service - you get deposits in the brand bank. When you fail, you see a withdrawal. As long as you have a healthy balance in the brand bank, customers are more willing to ride out the tough times. But if you've let the balance run too low, customers are more likely to be really angry or worse, tempted to head for the hills.
* If you're going to try and adopt the value of Simplicity, you have to do it across all of your actions, from how you communicate (minimize your proposition and talk the way humans do, not in marketing speak), to how you operate (small teams are better and you have to have the key decision maker involved throughout the process, not at the end), to what you offer (don't make things more complicated than they need to be by offering too many options - something which is a huge problem when you are trying to buy a PC).
* I loved the story of how the Think Different campaign came into being. It's such an iconic campaign that has stood the test of time and there's a reason for that. It embraces and communicates the core values of Apple. Segall shares the speech that Jobs gave to employees when he unveiled the campaign. It's thought by many to be the perfect presentation about the power of brands.
Overall, the book does a great job of inspiring you to look and see how you can champion Simplicity in your own career.
April 23, 2017
Honestly, I feel like it's a book that you can benefit a lot from knowing how apple works, but at the same time it was getting a bit boring for me how Apple is the perfect model and how the author was bashing on other brands.
April 27, 2012
Yes, this book is that good. It's quite possibly the most important marketing book since Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin. Segall shows us how Apple's maniacal emphasis on simplicity distinguishes it from Microsoft, Dell, HP, Intel, and other tech stalwarts.
In an age in which consumers are king, inundating them with features and specs is exactly the wrong approach. Rather, as Segall shows, Apple (through Steve Jobs and continuing under Tim Cook) does the opposite. By eschewing focus groups and keeping it simple, Apple has prospered beyond all realistic expectations. By following the advice in the book, companies of all sizes can increase the odds of success.
Finally, Segall's style is extremely conversational and often humorous. Had it been written a year ago, I would have quoted it extensively in The Age of the Platform.
Get. This. Book. Now.
In an age in which consumers are king, inundating them with features and specs is exactly the wrong approach. Rather, as Segall shows, Apple (through Steve Jobs and continuing under Tim Cook) does the opposite. By eschewing focus groups and keeping it simple, Apple has prospered beyond all realistic expectations. By following the advice in the book, companies of all sizes can increase the odds of success.
Finally, Segall's style is extremely conversational and often humorous. Had it been written a year ago, I would have quoted it extensively in The Age of the Platform.
Get. This. Book. Now.
May 15, 2012
This is a quirky and charmingly plain collection of anecdotes about Segall's interactions with Steve Jobs, and, more importantly, his takeaway lessons from Apple's success. It is, by design, a cherry-picked history, but in that it actually succeeds where Walter Isaacson's authorized biography failed. Isaacson spent so much time making sure his Steve was well rounded and fairly covered, he forgot to find (for lack of searching, it seems) any cause for the man's mindblowing career. Segall gets to the point: Steve kept things simple. We can now argue about other factors that contributed to the unprecedented rise of Apple, but for the time being Segall's thesis makes a lot of sense.
February 12, 2015
Disappointing book that promotes power of brutally direct communication and simplicity, and then proceeds to go into anecdotes of tiptoeing around Steve's snap judgements, and packaging things so he might like them.
Does have a good, clear call for a company knowing what its mission is, and the kind of strength a company can derive from building products that meet its high bar and reinforce its key philosophy.
Does have a good, clear call for a company knowing what its mission is, and the kind of strength a company can derive from building products that meet its high bar and reinforce its key philosophy.
January 14, 2022
This is a very good book, with some great yarns that illustrate important, very essential points. I enjoyed it a lot, and learnt much too. But it could have easily been 50 pages shorter, and made for an even better read. I didn't mind that too much, there was just enough there to make up for the lack of good editing.
January 1, 2019
Segall talks about his time working on the creative team that served Apple under Steve Jobs. Segall learned and practiced the art of brutal simplicity in marketing and product rollouts.
This is a pursuit I believe in, too. Minus the brutal part. We’re all adults here, after all. No need to be brutal.
I’m interpreting this book as part brilliant and part case of Stockholm Syndrome. Brilliant because the simple approach is best for the consumer. Stockholm Syndromish because some of the behavior he describes from Jobs at their group meetings is misanthropic and unacceptable, though presented in the guise of, “He was a visionary genius! So it’s all okay!!”
Great philosophy, simplicity. Just don’t forget to be humane while practicing it.
Read Remark Reviews | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
This is a pursuit I believe in, too. Minus the brutal part. We’re all adults here, after all. No need to be brutal.
I’m interpreting this book as part brilliant and part case of Stockholm Syndrome. Brilliant because the simple approach is best for the consumer. Stockholm Syndromish because some of the behavior he describes from Jobs at their group meetings is misanthropic and unacceptable, though presented in the guise of, “He was a visionary genius! So it’s all okay!!”
Great philosophy, simplicity. Just don’t forget to be humane while practicing it.
Read Remark Reviews | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
May 17, 2023
The idea of insanely simple is to keep everything simple. This book was a great read! Reason for the 4 stars? It started getting a little repetitive towards the end.
Overall this is a book I would recommend.
Overall this is a book I would recommend.
May 11, 2013
Představte si, že život Ježíše se skládal povětšinou z událostí, jako bylo zlořečení fíkovníku... a vy chcete napsat evangelium.
Mytickou bytostí není v Insanely Simple syn tesaře ale minulý CEO Apple. Na sbírku historek z jeho života jich je málo, na rozbor jednoduchosti chybí cokoli hlubšího než "lidé to mají rádi jednoduché" a jako pokus zmapovat vznik některých produktů kniha stojí za houby, protože je napsal reklamkář a ne někdo, kdo má páru (iPhone je jednoduchý, protože má jedno tlačítko - řekněte 'wow').
Knize by prospěla její vlastní medicína - zjednodušit, nevozit se knihou na Jobsovské vlně a raději pár zajímavých věcí vydestilovat do několika blogpostů. Nebo tweetů
Mytickou bytostí není v Insanely Simple syn tesaře ale minulý CEO Apple. Na sbírku historek z jeho života jich je málo, na rozbor jednoduchosti chybí cokoli hlubšího než "lidé to mají rádi jednoduché" a jako pokus zmapovat vznik některých produktů kniha stojí za houby, protože je napsal reklamkář a ne někdo, kdo má páru (iPhone je jednoduchý, protože má jedno tlačítko - řekněte 'wow').
Knize by prospěla její vlastní medicína - zjednodušit, nevozit se knihou na Jobsovské vlně a raději pár zajímavých věcí vydestilovat do několika blogpostů. Nebo tweetů
July 30, 2012
If you can look past the unprofessional way Segall rails on other companies, his bizarre pseudo-religious way of talking about simplicity and his overly enthusiastic love for Apple (even in a book about how great Apple is, Segall comes across as too much of a fanboy), there are some good nuggets here. It's primarily a book about marketing but there are some interesting stories about Steve Jobs and how Apple's best marketing campaigns came about.
June 25, 2014
Not a good book. To me Ken Segall seems to just take advantage of the fact that he worked with Jobs and saw him hitting every body with the "simple stick". Did he learn anything from working with Jobs? not clear. Did he apply the learning? No. Have I learned something? No.
June 15, 2021
Excellent business book to make the complex simple. Got a little long.
August 7, 2020
This book took me a little bit to get into, as I couldn't get past the character and sheer harshness of Steve Jobs himself. I couldn't help but think if he and Apple hadn't been so successful, he'd have been a run of the mill jerk. However, there was a turning point for me in Chapter 2, when the author, Ken Segall, acknowledged that, "... you can do the the brutal thing without being brutal." Meaning that simplicity takes being brutal in your quest to remove complexity, but you can do it without being a maniac. From that point on, it was easy to let go of my need to just wish Steve would have been kinder and gentler and to focus on the brilliance and difficulty of simplicity. Great stories across the tech industry, relatable examples, and things that will make you stop and question what you thought you always new about operating in business. If your interest is in product or marketing, these stories will be especially inspiring.
July 21, 2023
When most people talk about Steve Jobs, they talk about his focus and dedication. But they don't talk enough about his devotion to simplicity.
This book gives plenty of examples of how every business can benefit from simplicity. A must read for marketers
This book gives plenty of examples of how every business can benefit from simplicity. A must read for marketers
June 14, 2024
Great but quite redundant by the last few chapters.
August 6, 2024
A reminder to keep things simple
April 29, 2021
Many great anecdotes that fans of Steve Jobs and Apple will likely have come across before. The book is very heavy on the, “hey did you know I met Steve Jobs?” style of storytelling. This book feels like a good intro to Apple philosophy for people unfamiliar with Apple(?), and an overview of Apple’s major ad campaigns for people unfamiliar with those. If you’re a Mac fan or worked in advertising between the ‘80s and now, you likely are very familiar with this stuff.
My take is that the original title, “my opinions about how Apple probably works and what Steve Jobs said to me a few times,” was too long for the cover, so the publisher reduced it to just “Simplicity.”
Some good reminders that making things simple is complicated.
My take is that the original title, “my opinions about how Apple probably works and what Steve Jobs said to me a few times,” was too long for the cover, so the publisher reduced it to just “Simplicity.”
Some good reminders that making things simple is complicated.
November 28, 2020
"Insanely Delightful" would be a good title for the review of this book, which, although far from perfect, tells the story of the Steve Jobs era Apple primarily from an advertising perspective. The story of Steve Jobs is like a universe of its own, with ample scope for a series of gripping, pocketed stories that could be captivating on their own merit but share the underlying theme - the hippie days, the two Steves, the pirates, Sculley and Amelio, NeXT, iProducts, Apple Store, Pixar, Pancreas, Lisa etc, and this book is about one such story focussed on innovation at Apple seen through the prism of advertising, marketing, and creative art. I chose the word 'prism' and not 'lens' because there are instances in the book where events are glorified, deliberately or not, and where certain failures have been ignored until the conclusion section.
Before exploring the details of the book further, I want to point out a few things about the author, so the context will be set up better for the rest of the journey. Ken Segall is an advertising veteran, having been mostly with Chiat/Day (one of the most famous advertising agencies that has created landmark ads like Taco Bell chihuahua, Adidas's Hello Tomorrow, Southwest's Welcome Aboard etc along with three of the best campaigns ever for Apple - 1984, Mac vs PC, and the iconic "Think Different) for much of his career and closely linked with their Apple account. He was the protege of Steve Hayden, the creator of 1984. In that position, his interactions with Steve Jobs were first hand, and so is his account in this book. But clearly, and even admittedly, Ken was enamored by Steve's Reality Distortion Field, and on most pages in the book, he comes across as a fanboy rather than a collaborator! That's not a complaint per se, but something that becomes apparent clearly and dearly in the book.
The book has been divided into ten chapters, each very smartly named on the lines of "Think something" - Think Small, Think Simple, Think Iconic etc. And I certainly admit that all of them apply unarguably to Apple and the values lived by it under Steve Jobs. Every chapter is about the author's interactions with Steve Jobs (I say Steve Jobs because it was Steve Jobs himself who used to handle the final advertising, marketing, and product naming campaigns - not some executives, not a board, not anybody else) on an advertising or a marketing project. The stories are not chronological but are rather categorized on different aspects of simplicity. Before we narrow down on each chapter, as a trivia fan, I'd like to put down some interesting "Did you know?"s from the book that might pique a potential reader's interest to explore more. Did you know that...
1. Before they called it iMac, which further led to the naming of many iconic iProducts, the name they had chosen was "Mac Man"? I'm glad Steve listened to Chiat in this case,
2. Cisco originally had the trademark for the name iPhone and was in fact a product in use? Apple was in talks about it but Steve went ahead with his magnum opus presentation at the 2007 iPhone launch and announced it anyway without permission,
3. The iconic quote that goes "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels..." was not Steve's but that of Chiat, but Steve did contribute one line as a writer - "They push the human race forward"?
4. When the "Think Different" campaign was in full swing with many extremely famous personalities, game changers were being part of it, Steve really wanted Nelson Mandela to be part of it? When Chiat failed to get Mandela, Steve spoke to Bill Clinton (Steve was very close to Clintons) to talk to Mandela on Apple's behalf! Mandela rejected nevertheless, and Apple went with Charlie Chaplin.
5. Once, Steve wanted to introduce two versions of Mac, a paid update and a free update, and the free update would contain ads on boot-up, software launch, searches etc?! Thankfully for Apple, Steve went against it for the advertising nightmare it would create. And thankfully for the world, that model never got traction by anyone else, even on mobile.
The first chapter is called "Think Brutal", and in this, the author narrates the stories associated with Steve's legendary "Simple Stick" - an imaginary magic wand that makes a complex system simple. Simple Stick killing the idea of two different packaging of a single product is the simplest example of this. The chapter also includes stories about how meetings were conducted in Jobs era Apple, by eliminating the least required person! By "brutal", the author means brutally honest, which Steve indeed was, and "that" in reality is a very simple thing to practice. In "Think Small", the author narrates how Steve's idea of thinking small set Apple apart from its competitors like Intel and Dell. "Small" includes a wide variety of smalls, including having a small number of choices. The author rightly points out how Apple makes it so simple to browse their products by categorizing them appropriately, while its competitors drown in the paradox of choice. The chapter logically transforms well into its next - Think Minimal, which follows the same line but for processes. "Think Motion", the next chapter is more about Microsoft than Apple, where Microsoft searches for its core values and from the marketing perspective, end up choosing kids, puppies, and small businesses as their target!
My favorite chapter in the book is "Think Iconic" which rightly points out how simplicity is "embedded" in anything iconic! From the ad of 1984, to Think Different campaign, to iMac to iPhone, Apple's iconic products/campaigns have displayed extreme simplicity in their appeal. It doesn't mean the effort that went into making them iconic was simple, on contrary it's brutally demanding, but when the product is out, its simplicity speaks for itself. The story of iPhone's one "Home Button" is particularly enjoyable in this regard. Arguably unrelated, but the story of how Apple didn't get into the trouble of solving the Y2K problem is part of this chapter, and I was truly amazed to know that roughly $600 billion was spent on it by the industry outside of Apple according to Gartner.
"Think Human" is a beautifully narrated piece which highlights how Apple always sees its end users as humans and talks to them about values and ease of use, rather than with numbers and data as done by a majority of their competitors. I was a bit skeptical at first, but the author completely quenched it by highlighting what Apple told about their iPod - "A thousand songs in your pocket". I don't think any data, any number would have conveyed the message clearer. It doesn't matter how long those songs are, what quality and thus what size each is etc, the end-user is perfectly happy to know that the device can fit around a thousand standard songs, and that the device itself can fit in his pocket. This chapter also contains the most iconic Apple quote ever - "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels...", but I'll save it to the end. There's an entire chapter dedicated to the lawyers of Apple and the ad agency, titled aptly "Think Skeptic", and one dedicated to the advertising wars Apple waged on Microsoft and Intel at various times - "Think War". Both of these are brimming with captivating tales on how Apple went against its competition.
All through the book, I kept wondering why the author conveniently skipped the failures of Apple and of Steve that didn't fit the line of this narration. That bit was disappointing, but there's a modicum of solace in "Conclusion" (sigh, at least) where many of Apple's notable failures (and of NeXT) have been documented. Too late, too little, but at least it's there.
Overall, this was an enthralling read. The more I read about Steve, the more I realize he had so many facets that are not captured in his mainstream stories. So, this book from an advertising angle was very informative and certainly enjoyable. I'll conclude this by quoting the most famous line Chiat has ever created, something that gives me goosebumps every time I read it: "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. You can quote them, glorify them, vilify them. But you can't ignore them. Because, they change things. Because, the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
Before exploring the details of the book further, I want to point out a few things about the author, so the context will be set up better for the rest of the journey. Ken Segall is an advertising veteran, having been mostly with Chiat/Day (one of the most famous advertising agencies that has created landmark ads like Taco Bell chihuahua, Adidas's Hello Tomorrow, Southwest's Welcome Aboard etc along with three of the best campaigns ever for Apple - 1984, Mac vs PC, and the iconic "Think Different) for much of his career and closely linked with their Apple account. He was the protege of Steve Hayden, the creator of 1984. In that position, his interactions with Steve Jobs were first hand, and so is his account in this book. But clearly, and even admittedly, Ken was enamored by Steve's Reality Distortion Field, and on most pages in the book, he comes across as a fanboy rather than a collaborator! That's not a complaint per se, but something that becomes apparent clearly and dearly in the book.
The book has been divided into ten chapters, each very smartly named on the lines of "Think something" - Think Small, Think Simple, Think Iconic etc. And I certainly admit that all of them apply unarguably to Apple and the values lived by it under Steve Jobs. Every chapter is about the author's interactions with Steve Jobs (I say Steve Jobs because it was Steve Jobs himself who used to handle the final advertising, marketing, and product naming campaigns - not some executives, not a board, not anybody else) on an advertising or a marketing project. The stories are not chronological but are rather categorized on different aspects of simplicity. Before we narrow down on each chapter, as a trivia fan, I'd like to put down some interesting "Did you know?"s from the book that might pique a potential reader's interest to explore more. Did you know that...
1. Before they called it iMac, which further led to the naming of many iconic iProducts, the name they had chosen was "Mac Man"? I'm glad Steve listened to Chiat in this case,
2. Cisco originally had the trademark for the name iPhone and was in fact a product in use? Apple was in talks about it but Steve went ahead with his magnum opus presentation at the 2007 iPhone launch and announced it anyway without permission,
3. The iconic quote that goes "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels..." was not Steve's but that of Chiat, but Steve did contribute one line as a writer - "They push the human race forward"?
4. When the "Think Different" campaign was in full swing with many extremely famous personalities, game changers were being part of it, Steve really wanted Nelson Mandela to be part of it? When Chiat failed to get Mandela, Steve spoke to Bill Clinton (Steve was very close to Clintons) to talk to Mandela on Apple's behalf! Mandela rejected nevertheless, and Apple went with Charlie Chaplin.
5. Once, Steve wanted to introduce two versions of Mac, a paid update and a free update, and the free update would contain ads on boot-up, software launch, searches etc?! Thankfully for Apple, Steve went against it for the advertising nightmare it would create. And thankfully for the world, that model never got traction by anyone else, even on mobile.
The first chapter is called "Think Brutal", and in this, the author narrates the stories associated with Steve's legendary "Simple Stick" - an imaginary magic wand that makes a complex system simple. Simple Stick killing the idea of two different packaging of a single product is the simplest example of this. The chapter also includes stories about how meetings were conducted in Jobs era Apple, by eliminating the least required person! By "brutal", the author means brutally honest, which Steve indeed was, and "that" in reality is a very simple thing to practice. In "Think Small", the author narrates how Steve's idea of thinking small set Apple apart from its competitors like Intel and Dell. "Small" includes a wide variety of smalls, including having a small number of choices. The author rightly points out how Apple makes it so simple to browse their products by categorizing them appropriately, while its competitors drown in the paradox of choice. The chapter logically transforms well into its next - Think Minimal, which follows the same line but for processes. "Think Motion", the next chapter is more about Microsoft than Apple, where Microsoft searches for its core values and from the marketing perspective, end up choosing kids, puppies, and small businesses as their target!
My favorite chapter in the book is "Think Iconic" which rightly points out how simplicity is "embedded" in anything iconic! From the ad of 1984, to Think Different campaign, to iMac to iPhone, Apple's iconic products/campaigns have displayed extreme simplicity in their appeal. It doesn't mean the effort that went into making them iconic was simple, on contrary it's brutally demanding, but when the product is out, its simplicity speaks for itself. The story of iPhone's one "Home Button" is particularly enjoyable in this regard. Arguably unrelated, but the story of how Apple didn't get into the trouble of solving the Y2K problem is part of this chapter, and I was truly amazed to know that roughly $600 billion was spent on it by the industry outside of Apple according to Gartner.
"Think Human" is a beautifully narrated piece which highlights how Apple always sees its end users as humans and talks to them about values and ease of use, rather than with numbers and data as done by a majority of their competitors. I was a bit skeptical at first, but the author completely quenched it by highlighting what Apple told about their iPod - "A thousand songs in your pocket". I don't think any data, any number would have conveyed the message clearer. It doesn't matter how long those songs are, what quality and thus what size each is etc, the end-user is perfectly happy to know that the device can fit around a thousand standard songs, and that the device itself can fit in his pocket. This chapter also contains the most iconic Apple quote ever - "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels...", but I'll save it to the end. There's an entire chapter dedicated to the lawyers of Apple and the ad agency, titled aptly "Think Skeptic", and one dedicated to the advertising wars Apple waged on Microsoft and Intel at various times - "Think War". Both of these are brimming with captivating tales on how Apple went against its competition.
All through the book, I kept wondering why the author conveniently skipped the failures of Apple and of Steve that didn't fit the line of this narration. That bit was disappointing, but there's a modicum of solace in "Conclusion" (sigh, at least) where many of Apple's notable failures (and of NeXT) have been documented. Too late, too little, but at least it's there.
Overall, this was an enthralling read. The more I read about Steve, the more I realize he had so many facets that are not captured in his mainstream stories. So, this book from an advertising angle was very informative and certainly enjoyable. I'll conclude this by quoting the most famous line Chiat has ever created, something that gives me goosebumps every time I read it: "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. You can quote them, glorify them, vilify them. But you can't ignore them. Because, they change things. Because, the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
December 30, 2012
“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”
The book speaks of only one thing, 'Simplicity'. But mind you, that simplicity has produced and is currently being observed by a multi-billion dollar company, nuff said! This book is just a snappy glimpse in Steve's professionalism. Recommended for young individuals who aspire in jumping-up their level of productivity while still maintaining the wittiness in their life. Witty in the sense that you're striving for simplification rather than complexity, thus achieving quality results in just a short amount of time. Isn't that cool?!
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”
The book speaks of only one thing, 'Simplicity'. But mind you, that simplicity has produced and is currently being observed by a multi-billion dollar company, nuff said! This book is just a snappy glimpse in Steve's professionalism. Recommended for young individuals who aspire in jumping-up their level of productivity while still maintaining the wittiness in their life. Witty in the sense that you're striving for simplification rather than complexity, thus achieving quality results in just a short amount of time. Isn't that cool?!
February 23, 2022
Ken shares a lot of first hand stories from his role as an advertising agency team member working on the Apple account. The Simplicity principles he shares are interesting and can be applied, but for me, the book is more of an account of Apple's product and marketing stories rather than a business advice book.
August 6, 2012
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.
March 23, 2014
I DNF this audiobook at +/- 75%
As a more than 20 years Apple products user I was curious to read/listen this book. Some parts of it were interesting, unfortunately there was too much uninteresting rambling and the narration was kind of monotonous.
As a more than 20 years Apple products user I was curious to read/listen this book. Some parts of it were interesting, unfortunately there was too much uninteresting rambling and the narration was kind of monotonous.
July 5, 2013
Flojo y pobre. Pro una buena recopilación de experiencias de Steve Jobs y su agencia.
No vale nada salvo por ver como trabajaba en algunos aspectos este tipo
No vale nada salvo por ver como trabajaba en algunos aspectos este tipo
September 6, 2012
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.
April 6, 2013
If Ken Segall was really a disciple of Simplicity, this book would be 1/8 its published length. Spoiler alert: Steve Jobs saved Apple when he triumphantly returned to the helm in 1997.
July 16, 2015
Interesting stories behind the iconic Apple advertising campaigns combined with some great advice on how to stay focused on the simple, even when it's not easy.
October 11, 2016
Recommended by Margo S
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