The Apple Way

The book seems to have been written after thorough research into Apple's history and its business style. The analysis is accurate and is well supported by events and anecdotes in Apple's history. I liked the book for its simplicity and storytelling style. You dont need to have an MBA to understand it - simple lessons explained well with supporting evidence.

I was writing a public relations case study on Apple Computer (now just Apple, Inc.) for a senior-level mass communication class and this book was absolutely WONDERFUL to have because it really showed what Apple is known for and does well. It's also a great read for anyone else, from the person who doesn't know anything about the company to someone that has a business of their own. The lessons in this book are applicable to any business, and they are good lessons to learn. Apple is really a company that has always (to paraphrase their circa-1997 slogan) "thought different" and their products are prime examples. (As a side note: I got a perfect 200 points out of 200 points for my case study and presentation -- and this book certainly helped!)

If you're into reading books on management practices and hope to get some ideas on how you may want to implement some of the Apple Ways into your world, this is probably not the book you want to pick up. I've always been intrigued by the way Apple has done things. They embody "cool" yet they've made a lot of mistakes along the way. And still, they live on and are reinventing themselves. Apple is an innovative company and the spirit behind that shines through in this book. There isn't enough of the nitty gritty to make me fully endorse The Apple Way, but it is an enjoyable and interesting read.

Whether or not Apple is "the world's most innovative company" is debatable but it has certainly been among the most innovative and, as its recent successes such as iPod suggest, it continues to sustain a culture in which innovative thinking thrives. In response to a question at the 1998 Seybold Conference, Steve Jobs had this to say: "The reason a lot of us are at Apple is to make the best computers in the world, and make the best software in the world. We know that we've got some stuff that [is] the best right now. But it can be so much better. So we don't come to work every day thinking, `Well, when are we going to turn Apple around?' We come to work every day knowing that we know how to make better products. So that's what's driving us. The turnaround [which began a year before when Jobs returned to Apple] is just one milestone on a long road, and it's not for us to declare. Somebody else can decide when that happens. But we're out to make the best products in the world. And we'll sleep well when we do that." The inclusion of "way" in this book's title refers both to the sequence of developments since Apple's founding, and, to how it conducts its business. What we have in this volume is Cruikshank's analysis of a specific mindset in action, one which suggests a series of 12 management lessons. He devotes a separate chapter to each and then summarizes what are sub-lessons. For example, Chapter 8, "Getting It Out There," which stresses the importance of consistency when dealing with retail channels you don't control: 1. Spend the time and money to develop a sales force that's (at least) as good as your product. 2. Retailing experts are any other experts. Sometimes they get it really wrong. 3. Be nice to nerds, but don't let them do your marketing. 4. It's nice to be able to call the shots. But it won't last. 5. Move that inventory, based on better numbers! "If -- like fish and computers -- your inventory goes bad real fast, you have to move those goods ASAP." As Jason Jennings once suggested, "If it's DOA, bury it." 6. Forget about "not invented here" but only steal ideas from the best. 7. If all else fails, sell it directly. "The more special your product, the more likely you'll have to sell it yourself." 8. Create a shopping experience which defines the buyer at least as much as it does the seller. "The is also called `lifestyle shopping': Let the customer validate himself or herself simply by [making the purchase]." Cruikshank provides a comparable set of lessons and sub-lessons at the conclusion of each of the other eleven chapters. I especially appreciate this device because (a) it reiterates his key points and (b) facilitates, indeed expedites periodic review of those same points later. As indicated earlier, I am unconvinced that Apple is "the world's most innovative company" but its sometimes painful process of evolution offers a wealth of "lessons" on which Cruikshank focuses with a lively curiosity and an entertaining writin

As a longtime Mac fan I buy pretty much everything I see about Apple. This is one of the better business oriented books I have seen about Apple and is especially useful because it covers the current Apple and it's successes with the iPod and OS X.