The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone

Let me start by saying I'm not now and never will be an iPhone fan. Give me an Android phone any and every day. Having said that, on the recommendation of my brother I decided to read this book and boy am I glad I did. It tells the truly amazing story of how Apple used the iPhone to transform how we perceive and interface with our world. It also dispels the myth created by Steve Jobs that Apple was the inventor of all the technology that it took to create this world changing smartphone we know as the iPhone. It shows that like most great inventions it was actually the work of thousands of individuals over countless years that brought the iPhone to life. While Apple brought all this technology together and improved most so of it they did not create it. That said I would say this would be a must read for anyone who wants to understand the impact that the iPhone and other smartphones have had on us and our world.

I was really looking forward to reading The One Device(on that later) My takeaways are a person never realized how many people had something to do with the making of the iPhone. We give the credit to Steve Jobs and he deserves it with his vision, leadership and most of all his blessings-the iconic iPhone would have never been build. And yet, he fought and had to be persuaded to build a phone, open the App Store, have iTunes in windows and that was not easy as he was the boss, a jerk and a force of nature. The scope of hands that contributed to the iPhone is incredible from the miners in Chille getting the raw material for the lithium batteries, to the hands of brilliant engineers and designers at Apple, to all the past inventions notably multitouch,to WiFi, to chips and so on without them the iPhones will have not been possible.Is an incredible read but my disappointment was the writer Merchant writing style-it wasn't easy to read , he goes way to deep into the weeds(way too much details ) it almost feels like a textbook. I like nonfiction books to feel like fiction, a story with plots, with transition and connecting points and even a little cliff hangers. At the end I rushed it to finish the book. That's not to say I didn't like it and I learned a lot about the iPhone. One last note I am Die-Hard Apple fan but Apple has become the greedy and sometimes heartless corporation(we all detest) with profits margin for iPhone at 40-70% and suicide factory in China and Apple workers in stores barely making above minimum wages is something I hope changes. On looking forward to reading it, the textbook style disappointed me but nevertheless I recommend it especially if you love the iPhone.

I read this book after reading Losing The Signal about the rise and fall of the BlackBerry. This book goes into as much detail as possible on the true inspiration, development and unparalleled success of the iconic product of this century. But the author goes well beyond the classic "insider" story within the walls of Steve Jobs's Apple to explore the source materials (and mining) required to make the iPhone in Latin America, to inside a factory that hand assembles them at a breakneck pace in China, to the e-waste mountains where old phones are "recycled" in Africa. A stunning achievement of modern history and a thought-provoking book that makes you put down your iPhone to consider the profound implications - good and bad - the one device has on life in the early 21at century. Should be required reading!

While the concept of discussing contributions that paved the way to the iPhone is a good one, this book occasionally gets mired in detail. It is not a "page turner." Additionally, the author frequently berates Apple which insults most readers who would be reading this particular book. As a reader, I wanted to know which employees contributed and which past inventors' ideas were used, but would receive lectures why Steve Jobs had no right to have a patent. I wanted to hear how lithium batteries are made, but not hear how many miner deaths occur in South America solely due to Apple's greed.The feel of the book is such that the author probably started with the greatest of intentions, quite enthusiastic about the iPhone, but was transformed by the conditions of many laborers in third world countries. Since his topic was only the iPhone, that product alone gets blamed for all wrongs of the world. Unfortunately, most of the readers, who are enthusiasts, without personally seeing the suffering, and unwilling to not equally blame all electronics products, will find this book preachy and self-righteous.

I still don't understand why this book has not been a superhit. It's my favorite innovation book, out of the hundreds that I've read. It's well researched, well written, and shows in an incredibly powerful way how innovation really works. 'How the sausage is made' is never the visionary CEO saying to the R&D department: design this! It's actually quite the opposite. So much for Steve Jobs the genius. In this book you will find the geniuses that actually made the iPhone and it's even more important software. Steve Jobs was a genius at getting brilliant people to work at Apple. If only he had been a little more humble and not take all the credit for their work.

Come molte storie che riguardano Apple e Jobs in particolare, la narrativa è spesso spostata sulle azioni di Steve come influenzatore dei fatti. Questo libro è a mio parere più oggettivo, ed analizza il lavoro corale che è esistito in quella fucina di innovazioni che è stata Apple in quel periodo. Tutti noi, anche i concorrenti, dobbiamo riconoscere l'impatto che tale innovazioni hanno avuto. Leggetelo, se volete almeno intuire cosa c'è dietro alla creazione di un oggetto che ha cambiato il mondo

Great read, provides a very interesting perspective on the piece of technology many of use the most. Highly recommendable if you like or use technology.

It is the complete story of the iPhone. Well almost.The heart of the myth is there with its major contributors, epoch marking moments and dutifully researched foundations.It is odd to have mixed pre and post launch episodes with no obvious guideline.Some topics are missing altogether: what happened when the jack connector of the headphone needed to host a microphone? How could the 32 pin connector of the iPod fit the iPhone seemingly unchanged? What was Tim Cook's role during 2007? How did Foxconn manage the staggering ramp up required by success?More would be welcome but thank you.

Spannende Story, die berichtet, wie die zu modernen Smartphones beitragenden Technologien entwickelt wurden: GPS, Lithiumbatterien, Touchscreen, Sprachassistenten usw. Apple spielt dabei zwar eine wesentliche Rolle, das Buch konzentriert sich aber auf die Zulieferer und Erfinder außerhalb dieses Unternehmens. Eine ungewöhnliche Perspektive, gerade deshalb spannender als das x-te Apple-Enthüllungsbuch aus zweifelhaften Quellen. Dieses Buch hat Substanz.