‘After Steve’ book review and tidbits: Forstall friction, Apple Car origin, Jony’s exit

After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul, the new book by WSJ turned NYT technology reporter Tripp Mickle, and is out today. 9to5Mac received an advanced copy for review. The pages divide the time of the reader between following the careers and origins of Apple’s two top decision-makers of recent years, Jony Ive and Tim Cook. This includes much of what is already documented publicly. New details around Scott Forstall’s last year at Apple, the origin of the Apple Watch, and telling moments during the early development of the fabled Apple Car project complement the narrative enough to keep the attention of the most tuned-in Apple observers.

After Steve revisits much of the last decade at Apple, mostly spanning 2011 to 2019, from the period when co-founder Steve Jobs resigned as CEO to the moment design chief Jony Ive formally left the company. This narrative tracks Tim Cook’s time as Apple CEO, during which Apple exploded in its value despite the fact that Steve Jobs was a persistent worry.

The challenge for After Steve is making the subject matter interesting enough to revisit so soon (although the passage of time will alleviate this burden). The question of what will happen to Apple after the death of Steve Jobs worries a lot fewer people now than it did in 2011.

It is also hard to write an Apple book today that doesn’t include some well-covered background. Reading about the early days of Jony Ive’s time at Apple or the few details we know about Tim Cook’s early life can feel repetitious for anyone already versed in these characters. Still, newcomers will appreciate the completion provided by details about Ive’s early interactions with Steve Jobs and Tim Cook’s affinity for Auburn college football.

Mickle also sprinkles in new reporting around both key points in the timeline and trivial moments throughout that the narrative keeps your attention without feeling entirely retold.

For example, Mickle writes iPhone software chief Scott Forstall was “apoplectic” when he determined that it was hardware and not software that caused a prototype iPhone 4 to drop calls before “Antennagate” became a public fiasco:

The most difficult clash was with Ive. In 2010, Apple was in the final stages of producing the iPhone 4. A prototype issued to Forstall repeatedly dropped calls while he was on the phone. Forstall feared the problem might be software-related and called staff to find out. Forstall realized that the issue was due to the design of his phone. I wanted an iPhone that was slimmer and lighter. This was achieved by wrapping the antenna made of metal around the edge. Forstall seemed apoplectic. He blasted the flawed design in conversations with Jobs and complained that it had been hidden from his software team. I was furious at his criticism.

Forstall was also no fan of the original idea for Apple Watch, Jony’s first product idea after the death of Steve Jobs, according to Mickle:

The engineer behind the iPhone’s operating system worried that strapping a miniature computer to people’s wrists would distract them from everyday life. He feared that it would amplify an unintended consequence of the iPhone, a device so engrossing that it consumed attention, disrupted conversation, and endangered drivers. A watch could make it more difficult to manage the constant interruptions of everyday life, as notifications would be moved from pockets and purses to wrists. Though he didn’t rule out a watch, he said it should have capabilities beyond those already available on an iPhone. He advised caution.

Forstall’s doubt irritated Ive.

According to the book, Forstall instead favored developing a product around television.

Forstall, whose staff was involved in the presentation, championed the idea of creating a system that would pull TV channels into a single place so that people could search for shows with their voice. It would show people shows they have watched often and suggest similar programs. Apple would need TV networks to purchase into the system for it to be successful. This was a long process and out of Apple’s control. With the external pressure mounting, it fell to Tim Cook to decide on Apple’s next move: Ive’s watch project or Forstall’s TV effort.

Forstall was fired by Tim Cook in early Apple CEO tenure. Jony was promoted to software design. How “friction With Forstall” would have become a meme if “friction With Jony Ive” had been allowed to breath.

With Forstall out and Jony in, reality gives way for other interesting stories around Jony Ive, the Apple Watch, and the Apple Car project.

The book includes stories of Ive adapting an iPod nano with an EKG to demonstrate what a potential Apple Watch product could do, a bizarre Apple Car demonstration in 2015, and even an awkward detail where the photographer behind Jony Ive’s Apple product design book was asked by Apple to repay up to $20 million after an audit pointed to over billing for his services.

Apple Car development reportedly continues to this day, of course, but this was the state of things seven years ago, according to After Steve:

One day in the fall of 2015, Ive met Tim Cook in Sunnyvale to show him how he envisioned the car working. The vehicle could be controlled by voice and passengers could climb into it and tell Siri what they want. They sank in to the seats of the lounge-like interior cabin prototype and entered it. Outside, an actor performed as Siri and read from a script that had been written for the fanciful demonstration. As the imaginary car sped forward, Ive pretended to peer out its window. He asked Siri “Hey Siri, where was the restaurant that we just passed?” The actor outside responded. The executives had a few more exchanges. Ive looked satisfied as though the future was bigger than what he had imagined, and he left the car. The engineers watching him seemed to be unaware of his actions. Some were worried that the project would not move fast enough, but they weren’t near the destination.

The format of the book shifts between chapters detailing Jony Ive’s experience and the actions taken by Tim Cook. These two paths may cross at times but they are also interconnected. The lack of intersection can be used to describe an actuality in which Tim Cook permitted Jony Ive not to leave Apple.

Also covered are the times Jony attempted to quit the company earlier and his known history of being promoted to part-time, awkward returns, and eventual departure. Cook’s tale is more stable and less fascinating. This is partly due to Cook’s private and stateman-like nature as an Apple executive, although Cook’s great biography has yet to be published.

What’s missing is any mention about the really interesting story of what actually happened behind the scenes at Apple in the butterfly keyboard era for MacBooks. Despite the designer’s insistence on perfect, it’s certainly true that certain Apple hardware took design directions that favored form over function during his later years at the company.

The book captures the criticism that Ive received a salary too high, particularly while being distracted by my desire to leave. But someone could still write an entire book about the state of Mac in Jony’s final years, and the critically-acclaimed recovery.

As for the subtitle, How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul, the former is factually captured while the latter claim is arguably editorial and left open for debate. The book contains a lot of evidence that Cook led the company from an environment that was characterized by spirit to one that is focused on financial success.

The editorializing in After Steve is light enough to be digestible even by those who cringe at its subtitle. After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul by Tripp Mickle is out today.