Apple: The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders

Carlton, a West Coast technology reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has been overtaken by events in his attempt to catalogue Apple's business woes. The firm fired Gil Amelio, its fourth CEO in four years, on July 9, shortly after the publisher sent out galleys. Carlton added a nine-page epilogue trying to predict Apple's future, only to have events outrun him again a month later. On August 6, Steve Jobs, Apple's former, and now de facto, CEO, announced a ""far-reaching"" alliance with Microsoft, Apple's nemesis. That deal included a Microsoft investment of $150 million in the now struggling Apple. Again, Carlton rushed back to the keyboard, adding an addendum to his just- finished epilogue. If the book had been published six months earlier, readers would have had a context for these recent announcements. If Carlton had waited a year, he'd likely have a better perspective on what the latest moves mean. As it is, he is caught in the middle of events and that, unfortunately, distracts from the solid story he started to tell. (Nov.) FYI: Apple is embargoed for pre-publication review.