computer geek to cult icon : how I invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple, and had fun doing it
313 pages
English language
Published Aug. 6, 2006 by W.W. Norton & Co..
Once upon a time, computers looked like big, alien vending machines. They had large screens, cryptic switches, huge boxes, and odd lights. But in 1975, a young engineering wizard named Steve Wozniak had an idea: What if you combined computer circuitry with a regular typewriter keyboard and a video screen? The result was the first true personal computer, the Apple I. Widely affordable and easily understood, Wozniak's invention has been rapidly transforming our world ever since. His life--before and after Apple--is a "home-brew" mix of brilliant discovery and adventure, as an engineer, a concert promoter, a fifth-grade teacher, a philanthropist, and an irrepressible prankster. From the invention of the first personal computer to the rise of Apple as an industry giant, iWoz presents a no-holds-barred, rollicking, firsthand account of the humanist inventor who ignited the computer revolution.--From publisher description
Good light airplane fare. I was struck by how closely Woz's childhood experiences with technology were the same as mine (playing with continuity, diodes, building crystal radios), and how when mine diverged it was partly due to his work.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were always a peculiar pairing. Polar opposites in so many ways. This autobiography really emphasizes the differences between the Apple co-founders.
Wozniak is undoubtedly brilliant. His early computer designs and his later work show that without a doubt. But without Jobs there to drive him forward I don't think any of his work would have reached the mass market.
Again and again in this book, Wozniak came across as very naive. Almost unable to understand the drives of greed, arrogance or selfishness that are everywhere. In every case where he was wronged, he looks for some innocent explanation. When he says he would have been happy working at HP for his whole life, I believe him.
And that's why while I can recognize the brilliance in both men, I like Wozniak, and I never liked Jobs.
Although there was a co-writer, iWoz is very clearly …
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were always a peculiar pairing. Polar opposites in so many ways. This autobiography really emphasizes the differences between the Apple co-founders.
Wozniak is undoubtedly brilliant. His early computer designs and his later work show that without a doubt. But without Jobs there to drive him forward I don't think any of his work would have reached the mass market.
Again and again in this book, Wozniak came across as very naive. Almost unable to understand the drives of greed, arrogance or selfishness that are everywhere. In every case where he was wronged, he looks for some innocent explanation. When he says he would have been happy working at HP for his whole life, I believe him.
And that's why while I can recognize the brilliance in both men, I like Wozniak, and I never liked Jobs.
Although there was a co-writer, iWoz is very clearly in Wozniak's own words. Things jump around a bit as though he just thought of them and the phrasing matches closely to every interview I've heard with him.
It's refreshing. Most of these things are so heavily polished that you don't get a feel for the real person. That's not the case here and it makes for a much better read.
It was interesting learning the history of Apple and other projects Woz was part of. However, I had trouble with the style of his writing. It read more like he was an enthusiastic teenager boasting to friends. Some of the writing seemed repetitive and almost child-like. This made it difficult for me to take seriously enough to really enjoy. Still, it was worth getting his perspective on Apple and the growth of computer technology.
