Apple unlikely to be major seller of Jobs bio

The book was announced this spring, although Isaacson had been working on it for a couple of years. In an essay published this week on Time.com, Isaacson wrote that he was first approached by Jobs in 2004, when Isaacson was starting his Einstein book. Isaacson said he was initially surprised Jobs suggested the project, assuming he wasn't going to retire for a long time. He later realized that Jobs knew he was sick and didn't know how long he would live.

They last met a few weeks ago, at Jobs' home in Palo Alto, Calif. The Apple executive was in obvious pain, Isaacson recalled, but his spirit was strong as he talked about his childhood and showed the biographer some family pictures. Before leaving, Isaacson had a final question.

"Why had he been so eager, during close to 50 interviews and conversations over the course of two years, to open up so much for a book when he was usually so private?" Isaacson wrote "'I wanted my kids to know me,' he said. 'I wasn't always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did.'"