I am a junior at the University of Baltimore enrolled in the Entrepreneurship course and this book was recommended to me as an assignment. This book keeps you involved till the very end. It is not just a book about an idea gone successful but a tale full of emotions and drama. The best part of this book is the way it is written by the author. With a bit of wit in his tone he has beautifully described the journey of success in the easiest of ways which can be understood by a layman. As described by the author Jobs not only got what he wanted by establishing his own standards but he invented a model of simplicity inside the organization. He made these simple values the ultimate culture of the organization. Moreover experience of working in Dell and Intel gave the author much more insights of each organization and he was able to narrate his personal stories and experiences by comparing it to Apple. That not only explained the simple standards set by Jobs at the organization but it also enlightened the simplicity of Apple's products. The only thing which I don't like about this book is the amount of filler words the author has used. The word simplicity seemed monotonous and over exaggerated sometimes. He may sound right most of the times relating simplicity to human nature but at the end of the day it is a personal opinion of the author to perceive things in that way. Still it is a good read and I would highly recommend this book to people who are interested in starting their own business as this provides you the basic guidelines required as well as the essence and importance of simplicity in their respective start-ups.

Insanely Simple reads as a vibrant, narrative modern business book. A book that is white and glassy. A book that is large and iconic. Positioning complexity as the villain of success, Segall focuses on the importance of simplicity. Segall's admiration of Jobs cannot be understated. Job’s influence on Segall supports many philosophies he proposes and is the source of his many patterns of thought. At the same time, Segall has the ability to point out the flaws in Jobs and exercises this ability at various times, while discussing the hardship of maintaining simplicity.

Segall, worked as a marketing provider to Apple and many other large IT companies such as Dell and Intel. He derives many of his stories from his work experience with multiple companies, and compares and contrasts the practices of particular companies and the outcome. For instance, Segall explores when Jobs decided that Apple needed a new branding campaign and was able to launch the “think different” campagain within a month, while its competitor, Dell, had not created a successful campaign after 6 months.

The "simple stick" idea is explored through this narrative, providing real life experiences and not shabby, outdated business models and also shows the importance of utilizing the “simple stick” in marketing. Segall's admiration for Jobs created a narrative-style book, full of stories that allowed the reader to see how Job's worked and what in turn worked for the company. However, there are various times through the book, where the author’s admiration did not allow him to think outside of this context and easily could be comprehended as “What would Apple Do?” theme.

Overall, the insight into Apple was extremely helpful; however ironically, the book could use some simplifying. If one is able to filter out the lessons from the stories, it may be helpful, but if one would like a step-by-step guide for management, marketing and positive business practices, this may not be a practical resource. I am a University of Baltimore student, enrolled in an entrepreneurship course and this was one of my recommended reading. I enjoyed this book and would recommend this for nascent business owners and other entrepreneur students as the marketing strategies discussed could provide a plethora of ideas that one continue building upon.

Insanely Simple by Ken Segall is an inspiring book filled with real encounters with Steve Jobs. Ken compares Apple with companies like Intel, Dell, and Microsoft, showing how simplicity outshines their combined strategies. The book offers valuable business insights, emphasizing the power of simplicity in achieving success. It's a must-read for anyone looking to streamline their approach and enhance their business strategies.

I was not only convinced that simplicity is not only the BEST way to success but it is the ONLY way.

It eliminates all the clutter and focuses on the important.

Simplicity, as Apple's success proved it, is what EVERYONE desires -- whether consciously or subconsciously.

There are many great lessons in this book for anyone working in any business or other organization. Things like keeping teams focused and small and filled with the right people, using simple words and reducing choices. Some of the great quotes are:

- Clarity propels an organization. Not occasional clarity but pervasive, twenty-four-hour, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners clarity.

- Words are powerful, but more words are not more powerful-- they're often just confusing.

- Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end, because once you get there, you can move mountains. - Steve Jobs

It also provides insight into why Jobs acted in some of the ways that often appeared brutal or uncaring.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone - It is a quick, informative and entertaining read.

I am a current student at the University of Baltimore and this book was a recommended reading for the Entrepreneurship class I am enrolled in. The title of the book, Insanely Simple, is a perfect description of exactly what the book is about. The main principle discussed is how Steve Jobs employed a philosophy of “simplicity” in order to keep Apple focused, driven, less complex, and efficient. I liked the contrast that was often provided in the book between how the principle of simplicity that Apple employed differed from a more complex approach used by companies such as IBM and Intel. The book also provided an interesting view on how “small groups of smart people” drive success without over-analyzing or making things too complex. This book is a great read for entrepreneurship students or anyone looking at different principles employed by successful businesses. It provides a good background on how to not get over-complicated with the products you are offering and how to establish a system of efficiency by making sure decision makers are always present whenever decisions need to made. That is the principle of simplicity described in this book. I would also say though, that the principle of simplicity seemed a little redundant and at times exhaustive throughout the book.

I am a University of Baltimore Student and I read “Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success” by Ken Segall for a Class Assignment. Segall, an advertising executive, shares his personal experiences as he watched Steve Jobs build a company around the idea of simplicity. Steve Jobs believed simplicity returned the best results, and you see through these untold stories that he did whatever he had to do to achieve simplicity. Segall gives 10 elements of simplicity that drives Apple’s success, illustrated though inside stories of Apple and Steve Jobs. Segall stresses that simplicity is not easy. He takes you through different campaigns of Apple that were a success, or even a failure, which helps you learn even through the mistakes of Apple.

I enjoyed how Segall gave advice to the reader through personal experience and stories, which helped paint a picture of Simplicity. The stories reflected the 10 elements Segall stressed, which were the solution to achieving simplicity.

Even though the stories were interesting, as I got halfway through the book I felt that the book was beginning to become repetitive. Segall used many words and stories that were similar, repeated, or unneeded. For each element he used several stories to portray the main idea, however it could have been done in one story with one explanation.

This book is useful to other entrepreneurship students because it is a How-to manual without the lecture. It is a very interesting book, especially for Apple fans. It is very intriguing to read about Steve Jobs and how he built Apple with the idea of Simplicity.

I am a senior at the University of Baltimore, and I enrolled in the Entrepreneurship course. This book was my recommended reading. “Insanely Simple”, was an inspiring book, as you can apply most of the points made into anything in life. I find that keeping things simple is one of the hardest things to do, especially in a world where bigger and more is usually perceived as better. With this being my first book I ever read about Apple and Steve Jobs, I truly appreciated how Ken Segall told his personal stories about his dealings with Steve Jobs and his takeaways from Apple’s success. He speaks about the concept of small groups with smart people and about being brutally honest when communicating with others. I found this very intriguing because we always want to include everyone and hear everyone’s ideas, but this can waste valuable time. I enjoyed how Segall indulges on this principle of small groups with smart people that focus on the important collaborative and problem-solving tasks in a meeting. I did not like how he bashed other companies for their complexity.

This book might be helpful to other entrepreneurship students because it helps you to clear up your thoughts and keep them simple. If you are going to adopt simplicity, you need to do it across all aspects of your business. The lessons about simplicity are simple, practical and utilize common sense. In reality, it is hard for us to keep the complexity from creeping in.

For anyone who wonders how Apple 'does it', this is a great read.

For anyone who markets, positions brands, writes ads or does PR for a living, this is a great read.

Although we all don't have the benefit of working with once-in-a-lifetime CEO's or leaders like Jobs, this is a great reminder of 'how it can be done' and offers a different approach to what most of us do and or tolerate.

Lastly, though I worked on some of the campaigns that Ken points to as 'complexity' examples, he's right that they didn't have the same impact as those crafted under a 'simplicity' approach and it's worth looking back and understanding why.

A great read, not too much fluff either.

Ahhhh The beauty of Apple's corporate, marketing and design philosophy. JUST WOW! Makes me understand the power of Vision and sticking to it means a lot of NO. Wish my company would streamline and realize that complicated is cumbersome. I LOVED THIS BOOK and am incorporating it into my personal strategy for a satisfying life.

A great insight into how particular Steve Jobs was in keeping things simple and he's ability to boil it down to the essence of why a customer would love it. The interactions between Steve, colleagues and Ken's team are also a great view to how much work has to go in to keep things simple.

With all those management consultants out there and the complexity that leaders are exposed to running companies, the clarity, the dedication and simplicity is the key to success.

While others are planning, strategizing, discussing, others that are clear are in execution mode. 60% is good to make a decision, 90% puts you light years behind the competition.

Very interesting ideas and some good stories about Steve Jobs from inside the business during a revolutionary time at Apple

I am very much thankful to Ken for this book. This is an incredible book. It unearthed all the stupid mistakes that I have been doing. Every chapter is about deep learning. The book is simple to understand. It is a guiding light. I am really inspired to take action. Thank you, Ken!