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It was a religion and a weapon. The obsession with Simplicity is what separates Apple from other technology companies. It's what helped Apple recover from near death in to become the most valuable company on Earth in , and guides the way Apple is organized, how it designs products, and how it connects with customers.
It's by crushing the forces of Complexity that the company remains on its stellar trajectory. As creative director, Ken Segall played a key role in Apple's resurrection, helping to create such critical campaigns as 'Think Different' and naming the iMac.
Insanely Simple is his insider's view of Jobs' world. It reveals the ten elements of Simplicity that have driven Apple's success - which you can use to propel your own organisation. Reading 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.
Sep 14, Liang Gang Yu rated it really liked it. In an age in which consumers are king, inundating them with features and specs is exactly the wrong approach. Insanely repetitive and monotonic. Giving yourself an unfair advantage—using every weapon at your disposal—is the best way to ensure that your ideas survive unscathed. As an example, the author's first main push about simplicity is 'always have small meetings'. 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.
He was a member of the team that created Apple's legendary 'Think Different' campaign, and he's responsible for that little "i" that's a part of Apple's most popular products. The problem with the Cube was that it was just too expensive. Steve received this news immediately before one of our regular agency meetings, and he was visibly shaken by it. He had poured his heart into the G4 Cube in the hope that it would be affordable for consumers, but instead it would have to be priced more like a pro machine.
In his depression, he acknowledged that this could easily lead to failure for this product. And indeed, he ended up killing the G4 Cube just a year after he unveiled it. This was another example of Apple acting with great speed to fix a problem and move on. When the company does good things, such as launch a hit product or a great campaign, it makes deposits in the brand bank. With a low balance, they might be more tempted to cut and run.
Steve went on record many times about the importance of building a strong Apple brand. And he benefited from having a high balance in the brand bank many times.
When iPhone 4 was launched, Apple was battered by journalists and influential bloggers over what was perceived to be a flawed antenna design. Now that episode is remembered only as an example of overreaction, with virtually no long-term impact. Excerpted from Insanely Simple: Instagram continues to boom.
Make money at it with this master class [Deals]. Plus the book is poorly organized with stories repeated. It would have been better organized chronologically. Jun 25, Stef rated it did not like it. 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? Did he apply the learning? Have I learned something? Feb 11, Amie rated it did not like it. Steve Jobs saved Apple when he triumphantly returned to the helm in Oct 09, Tom Krug rated it really liked it Shelves: Recommended by Margo S. May 01, Jose Antonio Alguacil rated it it was ok.
No vale nada salvo por ver como trabajaba en algunos aspectos este tipo. Aug 24, Tanuja rated it it was ok. 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. Jul 15, Christa Pusateri rated it it was amazing. 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.
Aug 01, Christina Furtado rated it it was ok Shelves: Fairly obvious examples but good points none-the-less and a quick, easy read.
Mar 13, Mykolas rated it did not like it. Insanely repetitive and monotonic.
Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success and millions of other books are available for instant access. view Kindle eBook | view Audible. Editorial Reviews. From Booklist. Segall worked with Steve Jobs for 12 years, as creative Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success - Kindle edition by Ken Segall. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC.
As a long time Apple user and follower I was curious to read read book. I am a big fan of simple and elegant ways of doing things. Instead it is a nostalgic look back at an advertising creative director's career orbiting Apple, recounting yet more infamous Steve Jobs moments; which was more than well documented elsewhere. This book could easily be a simple blog post with main ideas outlined. Instead it felt like a long boring brag about his relationship with SJ and monotonous rambling narration. This book might be useful for big corporation managers, who, above everyone else, should follow and understand the idea of simple.
If you want to read it, I would recommend taking a audible version and listening on your way to work. But again, I would not recommend this book. It is waste of time. Instead, google the idea of simplicity and how Apple applies it. May 18, Alex rated it liked it. Jan 07, Alexander Hutchison rated it really liked it.
At the very beginning of the book I was quite intrigued but after the first three chapters, or so, I got bored and I stayed bored until the very end. Although it was had great story and idea it definitely got a little repetitive. I enjoyed the various stories about Steve Jobs and Apple but I found that they became the same stories every few chapters. I also really liked the idea of simplicity and everything there is about it.
I fully agree with the comparisons of Apple to other companies, based At the very beginning of the book I was quite intrigued but after the first three chapters, or so, I got bored and I stayed bored until the very end. I fully agree with the comparisons of Apple to other companies, based on simplicity, but it once again got very repetitive, I kept on hearing the same companies over and over again. Jan 16, Kyle Johannes rated it liked it. It took me a while to read this book.
Party because of how different the content was from the fast paced fiction I normally read. The overall content was good and I found the personal stories the author had with Steve and other facets of Apple very interesting to read. But even with that it also had a lot of fluff and repetitive themes that were very difficult to get through.
Overall glad I read it, but should have been half th It took me a while to read this book. Overall glad I read it, but should have been half the length.
Sep 14, Liang Gang Yu rated it really liked it. Simplicity is the obvious beauty of all Apple's product. Simplicity is credited tremendously to Apple' success.
But focusing on a principle of simplicity alone is not enough. It is Steve Jobs' obsession to Simplicity, which shaped Apple's enterprise culture from meetings to decision making besides product design, that leads to the transformational success of Steve Jobs' Apple. Isn't there the trace of healthy dose of obsession of "something" that leads to every break through of human kind? Sometimes this one seemed to have stories for the sake of telling stories instead of to really illuminate his point. But still it was a a good listen and keeps the simplification flame burning.
Oct 28, Dmitry Rasnovsky rated it liked it. Excelente libro, uno de mis favoritos. Libro recomendado para todo Apple Fan Boy, y personas que les gusta la marca de la manzana. Book 24 Insanely Simple 1 3 Feb 02, Books by Ken Segall. Trivia About Insanely Simple: No trivia or quizzes yet. Quotes from Insanely Simple: It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.
Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.