Tony on Thoughts from Tony

Nothing lasts forever. Have you ever heard this? In this world, it's certainly true, and it's even more true in today's fast-paced ever changing business environment. Most of the business people I encounter are trying to maximize their business model before it becomes ineffective or gets trumped by some new technology. Steve Jobs and Apple certainly trumped some developers this week as they unveiled a new version of their operating system and new capabilities that I'm sure some people had as works-in-progress. Continue reading

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New Book Recommendation: Inside Apple

Inside Apple by Adam Lashinsky

This book came across our desk this week and we couldn't help but read it all in a day and a half. After all, Apple just surpassed Exxon this past week as the world's largest company, they have to be doing something worthwhile, eh?  If you decide to read this book, you will be amazed at the level of secrecy involved at Apple, simply amazing. There's good stuff here, we think you should read it, today.

From the publisher:

INSIDE APPLE reveals the secret systems, tactics and leadership strategies that allowed Steve Jobs and his company to churn out hit after hit and inspire a cult-like following for its products.

If Apple is Silicon Valley's answer to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, then author Adam Lashinsky provides readers with a golden ticket to step inside. In this primer on leadership and innovation, the author will introduce readers to concepts like the "DRI" (Apple's practice of assigning a Directly Responsible Individual to every task) and the Top 100 (an annual ritual in which 100 up-and-coming executives are tapped a la Skull & Bones for a secret retreat with company founder Steve Jobs).

Based on numerous interviews, the book offers exclusive new information about how Apple innovates, deals with its suppliers and is handling the transition into the Post Jobs Era. Lashinsky, a Senior Editor at Large for Fortune, knows the subject cold: In a 2008 cover story for the magazine entitled The Genius Behind Steve: Could Operations Whiz Tim Cook Run The Company Someday he predicted that Tim Cook, then an unknown, would eventually succeed Steve Jobs as CEO.

While Inside Apple is ostensibly a deep dive into one, unique company (and its ecosystem of suppliers, investors, employees and competitors), the lessons about Jobs, leadership, product design and marketing are universal. They should appeal to anyone hoping to bring some of that Apple magic to their own company, career, or creative endeavor.

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