Sections of the upcoming book, “Becoming Steve Jobs,” were leaked on Thursday via Amazon’s “Look Inside the Book” feature, and it reveals some interesting revelations about the late Apple co-founder’s life.
While “Becoming Steve Jobs,” coauthored by tech journalist Brent Schlender and Fast Company executive editor Rick Tetzeli, is not due out until March 24, Cult of Mac discovered that a substantial portion of the book was available through Amazon’s “Look Inside the Book” feature.
Amazon has since removed most of the preview, but not before Cult of Mac could glean a few interesting bits of info.
The book reveals that Current Apple CEO Tim Cook offered to give an ailing Jobs a portion of his liver. Cook shared the same rare blood type as Jobs, and underwent a battery of tests to ensure he would be a good donor candidate. After being told he was compatible, Cook went to Jobs’ home to offer the transplant, Jobs refused.
“Somebody that’s selfish,” Cook continues, “doesn’t reply like that. I mean, here’s a guy, he’s dying, he’s very close to death because of his liver issue, and here’s someone healthy offering a way out.”
Another tale sure to interest readers is the story of how Jobs and Disney CEO Bob Iger discussed purchasing search engine company Yahoo! Doing so would have given Apple its own search engine, as well as a portfolio of valuable patents.
In an excerpt sure to result in much discussion among the Apple faithful is the information pertaining to an Apple television set. The book reveals that shortly after returning to Apple in the late ’90s, Jobs told Apple design chief Jony Ive, “I just don’t like television. Apple will never make a TV again.” Jobs may have been referring to the ill-fated Macintosh TV, an early ’90s attempt to merge a television and a Mac.
The quotes run counter to what Jobs Biographer Walter Isaacson published in his 2011 book, saying that Jobs said he had “cracked the code” to making a simple television set. The quotes set off a rumor tsunami that has yet to fully die down. (It is possible Jobs changed his mind between the late ’90s and the time he spent with Isaacson.)
“Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader,” is due for release on March 24, and is available for preorder from Amazon.com, (both hardcover, and Kindle editions), and the Apple iBooks Store.
