Don't buy the 'Make Something Wonderful' Steve Jobs book on eBay, because the book is free...

AppleInsider

The new Steve Jobs books is completely free, but copies of claimed special hardback editions are being sold on eBay for up to $25,000.

Every eBay listing shows a hardback Steve Jobs book in a box. There is no hardback version.

The book is a collection of writing by Steve Jobs, taken from speeches and emails, and compiled with clearly loving care by the Steve Jobs Archive. This is indeed a special book, but the Archive has explicitly released it for free, in order to have it be read as widely as possible.

Here, let us save you $25,000 -- you can read it online on the Steve Jobs Archive, download an ebook version, or get it via Apple Books.

In every case, it costs you nothing.

But now eBay is has already got -- at time of writing -- seven sellers claiming to have the printed hardback edition. The edition is reportedly one that was printed without announcement and presented to some unknown number of Apple employees.

Yet to read the book, there isn't the remotest reason to pay, at present, from $100, all the way up to $25,000. It's not clear whether the $25,000 version includes shipping.

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Update: April 13, 12:27 ET Corrected to include that there is a special printed edition. AppleInsider regrets the error.

Read on AppleInsider

ziggie

There is no hardback printed edition at all. All of these sellers are probably using print-on-demand services, assuming they aren't just going to scam the buyer out of the purchase price.

You sure? From what I read so far, Apple, Disney, and Pixar employees were given a hardback copy of the book. The hardback is just not sold to anyone. As for the $25,000, that's typical eBay hype price. There is one listed for $100 with 9 hrs left on bidding. 

edited April 2023

gourmet_poems

Please do a little research before writing things like this. Physical copies were absolutely given to employees, they just won’t be sold to the public like indicated above.

edited April 2023

appleish

Dunno about this, but I stopped buying things on eBay a long time ago. Based on my purchase history, about 90% of sellers are scammers of some sort.

mrstep

gourmet_poems said:

Please do a little research before writing things like this. Physical copies were absolutely given to employees, they just won’t be sold to the public like indicated above.

No doubt.  “There is no limited edition. There is no hardback printed edition at all.”  That won’t age well.

chutzpah

If it's a nice enough print it's perfectly fine to want a hardback copy for $100.  Who cares if it's official?  For $25,000 it better have some of Steve's ashes in the paper grain.

mike wuerthele

gourmet_poems said:

Please do a little research before writing things like this. Physical copies were absolutely given to employees, they just won’t be sold to the public like indicated above.

We did.

But, because of your assertion and the one before yours, the writer is doing more now.

ermonas

Mike Wuerthele said:

gourmet_poems said:

Please do a little research before writing things like this. Physical copies were absolutely given to employees, they just won’t be sold to the public like indicated above.

We did.

But, because of your assertion and the one before yours, the writer is doing more now.

John Gruber mentioned the hardback edition on his post about the book: https://daringfireball.net/linked/2023/04/11/make-something-wonderful

jayweiss

I would love to have a hard copy of the book. However, it would go into a plastic sleeve for the future. I’m reading my copy on my iPad. 

mike1

The book in the photo looks like it was done on Shutterfly or the like.

baconstang

Nothing has "sold" for $25,000.
They've sold for $99-$1200.

hammeroftruth

JP234 said:

No one spends $25,000 on a book to read it.

They use it to light cigars. 

stabitha_christie

gourmet_poems said:

Please do a little research before writing things like this. Physical copies were absolutely given to employees, they just won’t be sold to the public like indicated above.

If anyone was wondering if AppleInsider actually has insider information, there is you answer. 

If Gruber is correct, this went to every Apple employee and AppleInsder was completely oblivious and didn't even have contact that the could validate with. 

sahina

It is very unlikely that someone will spend $25000 on a book. One can start an incredible bookstore with this amount.

mattinoz

Sahina said:

It is very unlikely that someone will spend $25000 on a book. One can start an incredible bookstore with this amount.

I signed copy by some of the key staff at the companies might make that sort money but I'd suspect they would be via a direct donation for a charity event not ebay.

lewk

I downloaded the EPUB file and have started reading it.  I've enjoyed Steve's words in the part i've read, but I think someone really blew it on some of the explanatory text.  There are some definite errors in those parts!

In Part 1, 1976-1985, the description of the Apple ][ in the second paragraph is just flat out incorrect.  The Apple ][ certainly did not have, as implied, built in cassette storage or, as stated, a built in color screen!  I bought one in 1979 and while I don't have that one anymore, I do have another Apple ][ in my storage room.  It had an audio output and input that you could connect to a tape deck, reel-to-reel or cassette, for storage but it was very slow and awkward to work with.  It also had a video out that you could feed to a separately purchased little box that would convert it to an RF feed that you could connect to a TV (B&W or color) for use as a 40 character by. I believe, 24 line display.  Apple did sell some monochrome green CRT monitors.  I have an Apple /// monitor on another shelf.  When it came out 5 years later, the Macintosh didn't have a built-in color screen either!

edited April 2023

bluelightning

$25k for a printed book seems a bit steep to me.  As does millions for NFTs, $30k for a bitcoin, $50k for a pickup truck...  
These seem to be priced on the greater fool theory.  
People hope that a greater fool (than you) will be willing to pay more for the item when you are ready to sell.  

I've never paid $25k for a vehicle, and the house I live in last sold on the open market for about $14k (in 1962).  
As far as NFTs, bitcoin, $50k pickup trucks, or a hot off the presses book for $25k...  Give me a break.  

Seem to remember an Apple IIc ("C" for compact, ie, portable/luggable).  
Suspect the built in color screen was just the team brainstorming a product.   
The last of the Apple II line had a 3.5 inch floppy, but no built in color display or tape drive.  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIc_Plus  

While the Apple II did not have color graphics hardware, Woz found a work-around that allowed some color graphics:  
https://paleotronic.com/2018/10/03/apple-ii-colour-computer-graphics/   

There is something to be said for having separate displays, keyboards, tape drives, floppy disk drives, DVDs/CDs drives...  
Separate units allow upgrades between computer upgrades.  
Since these things are mostly mechanical, they tend to have higher failure rates.  
Having these separate tends to reduce maintenance costs.  
I can remember not having a single color computer display in a medium sized business.  
Management tended to think of color screens as extravagant, as grandparents/parents often thought of color TV.  
Flat screen displays were also considered extravagant for a number of years, until costs came down.  

edited April 2023

dope_ahmine

jayweiss said:

I would love to have a hard copy of the book. However, it would go into a plastic sleeve for the future. I’m reading my copy on my iPad. 

Oh nooo… You should have saved that iPad in its original box, and never used it. It could have become worth a billion bucks in a few years.

canucklehead

mike1 said:

The book in the photo looks like it was done on Shutterfly or the like.

Don't know where the book was made but the cover image is made to look like a personalzed Polaroid stuck to the front. And it absolutely was given out to each and ever Apple staff member - corporate and retail. I have mine sitting in the box still.

canucklehead

Stabitha_Christie said:

gourmet_poems said:

Please do a little research before writing things like this. Physical copies were absolutely given to employees, they just won’t be sold to the public like indicated above.

If anyone was wondering if AppleInsider actually has insider information, there is you answer. 

If Gruber is correct, this went to every Apple employee and AppleInsder was completely oblivious and didn't even have contact that the could validate with. 

Have mine. It's still in the box. There's a stack of them with every staff member's name on them. Saw an open one and it's so nice.