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Men and machines
REVIEWS BY RON WYNN Anyone old enough to remember typewriters, eight-track recorders or black-and-white TVs probably feels at least a little inadequate, if not outright terrified, at the technological breakthroughs that occur regularly in contemporary life. These three new releases offer user-friendly background on two major innovators and one little device that changed our world. Going inside Intel
Grove's past (he was a Holocaust survivor who came to America as penniless immigrant at 20) made him excel at sizing up both friends and enemies. He turned the fledgling Intel into a phenomenal enterprise, survived problems with chips and machinery, and ultimately made his company a model for success in Silicon Valley. Tedlow shows how Grove anticipated the growing demand for information and access in the Internet age, and how he helped transform the personal computer from a luxury item to an almost mandatory purchase. The book also includes a wealth of fascinating side stories, from Grove's relationship with Bill Gates to how he maneuvered through tricky relationships with Intel cofounders Gordon Moore and Bob Noyce. Andy Grove is part business primer, part profile and part technology history work, as Tedlow uses Grove as the lens through which he examines the evolution of the computer era and the shifting role of the CEO in a constantly changing marketplace.
By Richard S. Tedlow Portfolio, $29.95 576 pages ISBN 1591841399
iPod, therefore I am
As Levy shows, the iPod's popularity has forced music labels and publishers to scramble, seeking ways to legally allow downloading yet also ensure fair artist royalties. But, with the Podcast, the iPod has also created a way for everyone—from performers to radio hosts to newspapers—to present themselves to the public without the support of a big radio or television studio. Though Levy is careful to couch most of his presentation in generally understandable language, there are still some sections of The Perfect Thing where appreciation may be directly related to whether you know the difference between an iPod and a transistor radio. Meanwhile, in a nod to the iPod's "shuffle" feature, the book comes in four different "mixes," or arrangements of the chapters.
By Steven Levy Simon & Schuster, $25 304 pages ISBN 0743285220
He thinks different
iWoz corrects some misconceptions and outright inaccuracies previously presented about Wozniak's life. His interest in social justice and progressive politics triggered his later involvement with music and charitable giving, and the book covers such events as his sale of Apple stock to 40 employees prior to the company going public. iWoz traces the life and times of a brilliant, gifted and sometimes exasperating individual whose contributions to the scientific, business and cultural realms are extensive.
By Steve Wozniak Norton, $25.95 288 pages ISBN 0393061434
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While there's been plenty written about Andy Grove, longtime chairman and CEO of computer chip-maker Intel, no one has ever chronicled his business acumen and personal attributes more thoroughly than author Richard S. Tedlow in Andy Grove: The Life and Times of an American. Tedlow managed to talk to virtually anyone and everyone who has ever worked with, met or confronted Grove, and their opinions run the gamut from admiration to resentment, though no one questions his basic business savvy and strategic brilliance.
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Newsweek technology writer Steven Levy's The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness not only looks at how the notion of downloading and compiling a personal song library has affected the music industry, but how the demand for this technology helped rescue a company (Apple) reeling from setbacks in the personal computer field. Levy shows that while Apple didn't invent the technology, the company recognized long before its competitors that MP3 players represented the next wave in consumer preferences.
Steve Wozniak's iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon—How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It, written with Gina Smith, is part confessional, part strategic overview and part business memoir. In it, the engineer/inventor and occasional concert promoter and philanthropist recounts his adventures, triumphs and missteps in the world of high technology. Wozniak invented the Apple computer in a manner he admits was more accidental success than tactical masterpiece: He was experimenting with both a TV screen and keyboard and later he stepped back and realized that he'd not only reduced the size of the machinery required to generate the programs and data, but also given individuals access to landmark technology.