Apple has come out in support of the new unauthorized biography on Steve Jobs, entitled Becoming Steve Jobs, written by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, two tech reporters.
Not only that, but the company reportedly helped in the writing of the biography, largely because of the feeling that other biographies were not up to par.
"After a long period of reflection following Steve's death, we felt a sense of responsibility to say more about the Steve we knew," said Steve Dowling, an Apple spokesperson. "We decided to participate in Brent and Rick's book because of Brent's long relationship with Steve, which gave him a unique perspective on Steve's life. The book captures Steve better than anything else we've seen, and we are happy we decided to participate."
Steve Jobs himself was often seen as a very difficult boss, stubborn and accepting only of perfection. This was, of course, one the reasons why he was such an influential figure, employing the likes of Jony Ive, now a design genius.
Jony Ive himself was very against another recent biography of Steve Jobs, which was released in 2011 and written by Walter Isaacson. Tim Cook also spoke about the biography, suggesting that it did not really capture Steve Jobs as a person, instead painting him as a selfish egomaniac.
Isaacson, however, defended his book, saying that he wanted to avoid sugarcoating the idea of Steve Jobs and his flaws. Isaacson actually spoke to Jobs over 40 times and even spoke to over 100 of Jobs' friends in order to write his book.
Apple's praise of the new biography is interesting considering the fact that it is unauthorized. It suggests that Apple is working to repaint the Apple co-founder as the legend that he was rather than as a mean and stubborn boss.
The participation in the book also suggests that Apple is working on becoming a little more open as a company, rather than the tight-knit house of secrets that it has traditionally been. In fact, the company reportedly refused the opportunity to be a part of the book in 2012, however changed its mind 18 months later.
"I think our patience and quiet perseverance was what eventually won them over," said Schlender, who wrote about Steve Jobs for over 25 years.
The book itself has been given to a number of influential writers and bloggers, and will be released to the public on March 24.
