SteveWozniak
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iPad line watch: the few, the proud? (updating, Woz on deck!)
We just landed at Apple's 5th avenue flagship, "The Cube," and it's... a little bare. We count less than 15 people in line at this point (still headed by the inimitable Greg Packer), and most of them actually have pre-orders. Despite the minimal line situation, Apple has a huge section of The Cube's plaza cordoned off to make room for more, and the NYPD is here with barriers galore, ready to lay down the law. We're told the lines will be split between pre-orderers and non-pre-orderers at 6:30PM, at which point the scene will look truly pitiful. Presumably the crowd will grow later tonight and swell early next morning, as those pre-orderers with nothing to worry about shuffle in, breakfast in their bellies. Or maybe everyone just went to the beach for the weekend. Have you spotted a line in your city? Send us a tip! Not planning on braving the beautiful spring weather for a shot at this revolutionary / magical device? Make sure to check out Josh's iPad-equipped Jimmy Fallon appearance later tonight. CLICK HERE TO READ ENGADGET'S FULL REVIEW OF THE IPAD! Update: News is filtering in from all over -- check it after the break, and make sure to send in what you're seeing, wherever you are! Update 2: The line at The Cube is moving! Check out the update after the break. Update 3: We're Ustreaming live from NYC's Cube store. Check it after the break! %Gallery-89648%
A New Year's gift to Engadget readers: 3 minutes of Woz
Steve Wozniak is a fascinating man. Super smart, funny, incredibly perceptive... and just a tiny bit crazy. Please enjoy three minutes (and 15 seconds) of pure Woz after the break. It's our gift to you. Update: For those wondering about the GPS setup Woz talks about in the interview, he's posted up a short video of his rig in comments! We're including a shot after the break.
Welcome to Macintosh to air on CNBC on January 4th, 2010
If you missed Macworld Expo 2009 in San Francisco last January, then you probably missed the premiere showing of Welcome to Macintosh, an indie documentary that provides an intimate look at Apple's history. It's been shown at different times and places over the past year, and you can also buy it from iTunes, but now you can watch the documentary for free. On Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 9:30 PM ET, CNBC is broadcasting the documentary for the first time on a major network. Welcome to Macintosh features interviews with many of the early forces in Apple history, including Andy Hertzfeld, Guy Kawasaki, and Ron Wayne (often referred to as the "third founder" of Apple and the person who designed the original Apple logo). CNBC seems to be vying for the title of "The Apple Channel," as we reported yesterday that they're airing a special about the app revolution titled "Planet of the Apps: A Handheld Revolution" on January 7th. [via Macworld]
Found on eBay: An original Apple-1 with wonderful documentation
A few months ago, we provided details of an auction that featured a Mac that had been given to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry by Apple. If you missed your chance to pick up that prime item, now you have an opportunity to own an Apple that is even more rare: an Apple-1 (also known as the Apple I) that's currently on auction on eBay. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Found_on_eBay_Original_Apple_1_with_wonderful_documentation'; The starting bid for the Apple-1 is US$50,000. What do you get with your winning bid? A non-working Apple 1 motherboard, the original shipping box (with the return address being the home of Steve Jobs' parents), and the original manual, complete with schematics on how to take the motherboard and build a workable computer out of it. There's also a tape interface card, used to load or save software from cassette tapes. The card comes with a manual and a cassette with a typed label that says "BASIC" on it. If you're a fan of Steve Jobs, you'll want two of the items that are included. The first is a letter signed by Steve Jobs that explains how to connect a keyboard and monitor to the computer, and telling the buyer (someone who wanted to be a dealer) when dealer applications would be available. The second is a hand-typed invoice for the computer, showing "Steven" as the salesman for the machine. The original full-page advertisement for Apple was included with each Apple-1. This features the original Apple "Isaac Newton" logo that was designed by the third founder of Apple, Ronald Wayne. Wayne also wrote the Apple-1 manual. Finally, you'll get a photograph of every other owner of this computer. The existing owner has a picture of himself, the computer, and Steve Wozniak that he's including. If you're the successful bidder, you are asked to travel to Roseville, California to pick it up due to the irreplaceable nature of the Apple-1. A gallery of the photos included in the auction can be viewed below. And remember, this could be the perfect holiday gift for that special someone... %Gallery-78404%
Fusion-io ioXtreme PCI Express SSD reviewed: wicked fast, bloody expensive
Okay, so maybe you didn't need a full-on review to tell you that Fusion-io's ioXtreme PCI Express SSD was staggeringly pricey, but at $11 per gigabyte ($895 for 80GB), you may want to turn a blind eye right now if you're short on disposable income. If you've managed to continue on, then you owe it to your collective senses to give the read link a look. The gurus over at HotHardware were able to get one of these lightning fast devices in for review, and while we were always assured that performance would be mind blowing, it's another thing entirely to see those promises proven in the lab. Critics found the card to be the "fastest overall SSD solution on the market today," with consistent 700MB/sec reads and 300MB/sec writes. Of course, they were still anxious to get their hands on a supposedly forthcoming update to make this thing bootable, and the omission of a RAID BIOS definitely put a small damper on things; still, it's hard to let annoyance such as those overshadow the monster performance numbers, but we'd recommend giving the full skinny a good lookin' at before committing your child's college education fund to a pile of NAND.
Fusion-io ioXtreme and ioXtreme Pro PCI Express SSDs sneak out
Mmm, flash. Fusion-io's product line has largely targeted enterprise users, but with the introduction of the ioXtreme PCI Express SSD back at E3, it was clear that the next-gen storage outfit was serious about breaking into the consumer market. Today, the 80GB ioXtreme and ioXtreme Pro (which was previously unheard of) have both broke cover over at Hot Hardware, with the former being useful for single-drive installs and the latter good for multi-drive setups. We should note that Fusion-io is obviously behind schedule on these, and there still doesn't look to be a definite price and release for the laypeople out there. That said, if the company's shipping out products that punch out an average write rate of 300MB/sec and read rate of 775MB/sec (yes, seriously), we'd say it's darn near ready for the real world.
Fatal1ty teams with Fusion-io to launch 80GB ioXtreme PCI Express SSD
Up until now, Fusion-io's glorious creations have largely been priced out of consideration for general consumers. During E3, however, the storage gurus teamed up with Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel in order to debut a consumer-level PCI Express SSD card. Engineered to provide wicked fast transfer rates within high-performance PCs, the ioXtreme is an 80GB PCI Express card that should make your traditional HDD seem absolutely antiquated. Better still, it's slated to ship next month for the not-too-terribly-egregious price of $895, which certainly gets you into the game for a lot less than OCZ's (admittedly more capacious) Z-Drive.
Engadget arrives at D7!
You know you're at the D conference (hosted by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher of All Things D) when you're chilling in the lobby of the Four Seasons and Woz and his wife peel up on tandem Segways. Yeah, it's going to be that kind of party. We're live on the ground at D7, and you can expect some pretty interesting coverage from us this week, including liveblogs of keynotes from Palm's Jon Rubinstein, Steve Ballmer, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo of Nokia, and Mike Lazaradis from RIM. For now, though, we're going to soak in some of these beautiful rays and try to get a game of Segway polo going. A few more pics after the break.
Woz exits Dancing with the Stars
Taking a break from pure silliness to borderline-news-related silliness, yesterday was elimination night on Dancing with the Stars, and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak danced off the stage. After avoiding the bottom two last week, Woz, along with Hugh Hefner's ex #1 girlfriend, Holly Madison, were eliminated in a double-elimination episode.Woz's time on DWTS was filled with injuries, vote rigging allegations (and retractions), and of course some pretty awesome (as in "awesomely bad") dancing. The Woz may no longer be on DWTS, but he will remain in our hearts.So, will you still watch Dancing with the Stars now that Woz is gone? Let us know in the poll and in your comments!%Poll-28701%
DWTS Week 2 is kinder to Woz
You think a pulled hamstring, judges' scorn, and general lack of grace or terpsichorial skill are drawbacks? Fuggedabout it. You cannot stop the Woz, you can only hope to contain him: the second-week results from Dancing With The Stars were a surprise for Steve Wozniak and his partner Karina Smirnoff, as they avoided the bottom two slots and another dance-off. For a while there it looked like Woz' injury might knock him out of the competition, but he stuck it out and delivered a performance that the panel hated but the Internet and phone voters cherished. If the power of Apple fandom can keep Woz twirling and dipping long enough to, you know, actually learn to dance without hurting himself or others, perhaps we will see the King of All Geeks on the winner's podium by season's end. Perhaps. [via CNN]
Woz dances: "like watching a Teletubby going mad"
He did it. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and nerd superhero, just made his debut on Dancing with the Stars. As you'd expect, the surprisingly nimble Woz enjoyed himself without concern of mockery. But as one judge put it, "overall it was a disaster." Hey Woz, you're still a champion to us.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a copy of iWoz autographed by Steve Wozniak!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a hardcover copy of iWoz by Steve Wozniak on offer, and yes, it's autographed by the famous dancer himself! Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!Special thanks to the Geek Squad for providing the book!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one signed copy of iWoz. Approximate value is unimaginable. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Monday, March 9th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Steve Wozniak comes to 'Dancing With The Stars,' universe quivers
Yes, your greatest / worst dream has come to fruition: Steve Wozniak will be featured on the next season of Dancing With the Stars. There's not much we can tell you right now about his upcoming moves, though we will be watching with bated breath, quietly hoping for a double Lindy, the Sugarfoot, and Denise Richards being dipped on a Segway. [Thanks, Ethan]
Woz to be on 'Dancing...'
We heard the rumors, but now it has been officially confirmed: Steve Wozniak will be appearing on the upcoming season of ABC's Dancing With the Stars. We're as shocked/horrified as you, but apparently, ABC has deemed Woz Dance worthy. We're still awaiting word of his partner and we'll let you know as soon as we do. Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC on Monday, March 9 at 8/7 c.
"Chief Scientist" is an apt title for Woz
Apple co-founder, Segway polo player, date to the stars and über-nerd Steve Wozniak has accepted a position at Fusion-io. Specifically, he'll be the company's Chief Scientist.Fusion-io uses densely-packed clusters of flash memory chips in servers to enable them to find data very quickly. Woz has been serving on the board at Fusion-io, and recently asked for a larger role. "In this case, I like the people and the product, and said I would like some greater involvement," he told The New York Times. This will be Steve's first full-time job since he shut down Wheels of Zeus in 2006.Good luck, Steve! We're looking forward to seeing what's next.[Via Ars]
Woz on Jobs' medical leave
In a conversation with NBC about Steve Jobs' leave from Apple, co-founder Steve Wozniak said this break could be exactly what Steve -- and Apple -- needs. Woz had some great things to say, and my favorite was his answer to the question, "If Steve [Jobs] were not at Apple, would the company be as able to produce the kind of products we've seen?" Woz's answer:"Way too hypothetical. I would never venture a guess ... obviously, Steve's very important but Apple has some incredible people, followers of the Apple mentality, followers of Steve himself."In other words (if I may paraphrase you, Woz), Steve isn't Apple and Apple isn't Steve. No matter what happens, the company will be fine. Good call.A bit of the audio from the Woz interview was played on last night's talkcast, along with your voicemail wishes for Steve Jobs' improved health. Mike assures me he'll have the show up and online tonight.[Via AppleInsider]
Mac founding-fathers appear at Welcome to Macintosh screening
This year at Macworld 2009, two documentary films about the Mac held screenings. While we didn't have anyone on-site at MacHEADS, a few of us were fortunate enough to attend Thursday night's screening of Welcome to Macintosh. Welcome to Macintosh, a documentary by Josh Rizzo and Rob Baca, chronicles the history of Apple and the Mac, using interviews with the people and the users that were there. Tony Walla contributed a great piece about the film last April, which fills in more background. While the film is amazing (the DVD is available now and it is chock-full of awesome), the discussion after the screening was truly magical. Five of the participants from the film, along with Very Special Guest, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, appeared on-stage and answered questions from the crowd. (See the Woz answer our own Mike Rose's question here) Read on for more historic geekiness...%Gallery-41649%
Woz gets a new job
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak seems to be a lot more visible lately.First, he's been making bad web ads for SCOTTEVEST. Next, we received pictures of Woz whizzing from the deck of his Segway. He was fined US$700 for driving his Prius at 104 miles per hour (167 kilometers per hour) on I-5. At last, we've received news that he's actually using that geek cred of his for the good of mankind.Yes, Stephen Gary Wozniak has just joined the Board of Advisors of Axiotron, makers of the Modbook (that's the mod that turns a stock MacBook into a Tablet Mac). Andreas Haas, CEO of Axiotron, was quoted late last week as saying "We're thrilled to bring Steve onto our Board of Advisors. His deep knowledge and experience are an invaluable resource for Axiotron. Steve's forward-thinking and non-conformist approach, his incredibly creative engineering designs and his emphasis on the human aspects of technology have always been an inspiration to me."We'll be visiting Axiotron and reporting on the newly updated Modbook at Macworld Expo 2009, as well as interviewing some well-known artists and designers who use the Modbook as a creative tool. Stay tuned January 5th through 9th for TUAW's extensive coverage of the Expo.
Found Footage: SCOTTEVEST Woz-i-sodes
Apple co-founder Steve "The Woz" Wozniak must have a lot of time on his hands. He's acting in online ads for SCOTTEVEST, the company that makes those great geek clothes with all sorts of pockets, cable runs, etc...Two Woz-i-sodes are already posted on the SCOTTEVEST site; one titled "Return of the Woz", featuring Woz as Lord Dirth Wozniak (see picture above), while the other "A Fish Story" has Woz using a 1G iPod nano as a handy fishing accessory. And of course, those geeky clothes products from SCOTTEVEST are featured heavily throughout the videos. Additional Woz-i-sodes will be posted weekly, giving you an excuse to work on your Christmas list and have some fun in the process. Click here to view these cinematic blunders wonders.Thanks to Kevin for the tip!
Woz says the iPod will "die out after a while" like radios and Walkmans
Uncle Woz is stirring things up today in an interview with The Telegraph, saying that he thinks "the iPod has sort of lived a long life at number one, things like, if you look back to transistor radios and Walkmans, they kind of die out after a while... they get real cheap and then they are not selling as much." That's certainly an interesting parallel to draw, since the iPod is unquestionably the market leader and the recent updates to the nano and classic weren't particularly overwhelming -- but we've got to disagree here and say that the metaphor doesn't quite work. Walkmans and radios were standalone products that didn't really change over time, while the iPod is clearly evolving into a compelling standalone computing platform -- and it's tied to iTunes, which, hate it or love it, is the most popular content store out there. Sure, things could change dramatically -- competitors like the Zune are getting way better, subscription music could finally take off, and DRM is slowly going away (at least for music) -- but it's hard to see Apple getting baited into a brand-tarnishing price war or simply letting the iPod fade away without putting up a fight. We'll see, we suppose -- any of you willing to throw down some bold predictions?[Via Wired]
