Steve Wozniak
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Where's Steve Wozniak? He's doing his regular waiting-in-line thing
Sure it's marketing, but it's also a nice little ritual. Speaking to an interviewer from What's Trending, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak acknowledged he doesn't have to wait in line for his new iPad, but said he'd "rather be genuine, like the real people". They're the ones you can see pretending to sleep / read in the background.
Distro Issue 31: Tales from the South Pacific, Apple's new iPad and the Woz
Let's just call Issue 31 the New Issue, shall we? That's what Apple did this week with the refresh of the iPad, and in this week's refresh of Distro, we'll bring you our first-hand impressions of Cupertino's latest slate. Also in this issue, Darren Murph takes a look at the challenges of bringing wireless to the disconnected, in "Internet Tales from the South Pacific," and Steve Wozniak tackles the Distro Q&A like only he can. We'll also bring you our reviews of Lytro's debut light field camera and Dell's XPS 13 Ultrabook. So go on and download the new issue.Distro Issue 31 PDFDistro on the iTunes App StoreDistro in the Android MarketDistro APK (for sideloading)Like Distro on FacebookFollow Distro on Twitter
Steve Wozniak loves iOS, except when he doesn't
We've heard this one before, only to have it debunked. Steve Wozniak sits down with foreign press, talks tech and has his words misconstrued; hair pulling and epic fanboy wars ensue. While we were able to deflate that troll bait rather quickly, this time it appears the Woz is guilty of an OS crush. According to The Daily Beast, the Apple co-founder (and connoisseur of Segways) goes on record as preferring many aspects of Android's fussier-but-deeper UI to iOS' one size fits all, simplified approach. Citing improvements in voice command software (sorry Siri, but he's looking at you), navigation and consistent performance, this other Steve seems to believe his company has a lot to learn from Google's dessert-themed mobile platform. Does word of Woz's wandering thumbs spell doom for Apple's all but gilded OS? We don't think so. As Kathy Griffin's former, fake boyfriend put it best, the iPhone 4S is for "users scared of computers." Which is to say, everyone and your mother.
Stanford archives provide rare glimpse into Apple's early days as mere seedling (video)
Housed in a climate controlled storage facility operated by Stanford University, nearly 600 feet of shelf space is dedicated to preserve documents, videos and memorabilia of Apple and its early days as a young startup. The collection holds rare gems such as interviews with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, both of whom discuss some of the rationale behind Apple's name -- Jobs asserts that it was selected to place his company ahead of Atari in the phone book. Originally intended to furnish Apple's corporate museum, the materials were donated to Stanford in 1997 after Steve Jobs' return to the company, which was most concerned with financial survival at the time. According to the university, more than 20 significant collections have been added to the archives in the subsequent years. The warehouse holds blueprints of the Apple I, user manuals, magazine ads, TV commercials and T-shirts, along with thousands of photographs that document Steve Jobs during his years as CEO of NeXT. Other rarities include a $5,000 loan document -- signed by the two Steve's and the partnership's third co-founder, Ron Wayne -- a spoof of Ghostbusters that starred former CEO John Sculley and other company leaders, who played "Blue Busters" to eliminate IBM, and handwritten sales entries of the very first Apple II's. While the location of the facility is undisclosed, we can only hope that, some day, the collection will be showcased for fanboys, fangirls and the public alike.
Two days in the desert with Apple's lost founder, Ron Wayne
"I have to ask you something," Ron Wayne begins, as we stand to leave his office, signaling the close of our day-long conversation. He takes a slightly dramatic pause, adding, "compared to other people, is my life really that interesting?" This isn't modesty; it's earnestness. Wayne is genuinely curious about what makes his 77 years on earth so fascinating to have warranted my traveling across the country in order to spend a few days in his presence. I answer, honestly, that it's his time with Apple that has made him such a figure of interest. "Oh," he responds. "So it's my brushes with famous people. I'm a footnote in someone else's story." Thirty-five years ago, Ronald G. Wayne helped co-found the Apple Computer Company with two men 20 years his junior, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak -- names that have since become synonymous with the personal computer revolution of the early 80s. For Wayne, however, it was a gig that lasted all of a dozen days, abruptly ending when he marched down to the Santa Clara County Registry Office to have himself stricken from the contract he'd authored. His is a name that pops up every few years or so, shrouded in mystery, the "forgotten" or "unknown" founder of one of the world's most successful companies – and perhaps more infamously, the man who once owned 10 percent of its stock, only to walk away from it all a mere $2,300 richer.%Gallery-141297%
Apple co-founder Ron Wayne's stash of early documents (eyes-on)
About a week ago, we traveled to the desert to spend two days with Ron Wayne. The 77-year-old Pahrump, Nevada resident has had a number of careers in his long life, working for Atari, a few slot machine companies, developing devices for use on the ocean floor and running a collectables shop in Northern California. In his semi-retired state, Wayne sells stamps and coins to supplement his checks from the government. He's no doubt best known, however, for his role in the founding of the Apple Computer company, alongside Steves Jobs and Wozniak, a role at which he spent a little more than a week. During our time in Pahrump, Wayne was kind enough to let us comb over a number of papers from his days with the nascent computer company. The documents, stashed in a USPS mailer kept by the door of his office, were a veritable treasure trove of information, including pages of pages of plans and pencils drawings of an Apple I enclosure Jobs asked Wayne to build -- his creation was ultimately rejected by Apple and lost to history as the company gained steam. Also stored in the envelope were a facsimile of the contract signed by Wayne, Woz and Jobs, which recently sold on auction for more than $1 million -- in fact, it was Wayne's original copy that hit the auction block. He had parted ways with it for far, far less some time ago. Wayne's Statement of Withdrawal is in the pile as well -- the document effectively ended his term with the company, filed for a $5 fee. Also inside are an Apple I operation manual, with the company's original logo, designed by Wayne himself and an Apple II order form. Check out all of the above in the gallery below.%Gallery-141277%
Woz says Apple could not emerge in Singapore
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak got a little political lately, saying in an interview with the BBC that a society like Singapore, with its relatively strict approach to aberrant behavior, would never be able to host a company like Apple, with its early days of long-haired weirdos working on groundbreaking technology in their garages. "Look at structured societies like Singapore where bad behavior is not tolerated [and] you are extremely punished," Woz is quoted as saying. "Where are the creative people? Where are the great artists? Where are the great musicians? Where are the great writers?" I'm not quite sure if it's as simple as all of that -- I'd suggest that great, creative people can flourish in whatever environment they happen to be brought up in. But Woz at least makes a good point in saying that if creativity is to really shine, it's got to be in a place where new ideas (even the crazy ones) are welcomed with open arms. Singapore is also reportedly trying to build up its tech scene, and Woz is no stranger to the city-state: He was there earlier this year to give a series of talks organized by the government itself. Interesting that he takes this position, then -- it's hard to believe the government would loosen up all of those restrictions just to support their tech industry, but then again, if Woz says so, it must be true. [via WSJ]
Apple's founding documents pull in $1.6 million at auction
Over two weeks ago, the internets were abuzz with talk of Apple's founding documents hitting the auction block. Word was, they'd rake in a sizable $150,000 on the high-end, but it appears even Sotheby's underestimated the power of paperwork. The three sheets of dead tree in question, signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne (Apple's often forgotten third founder) fetched a whopping $1.6 million today. The documents originally belonged to Mr. Wayne, who reportedly received just $2,300 after relinquishing his stocks and agreeing to forfeit claims against the big Apple. According to Bloomberg, Sotheby's identified the winning bidder as Eduardo Cisneros, CEO of the Cisneros Corp. Over two weeks ago, the internets were abuzz with talk of the Apple's founding documents hitting the auction block. Word was, they'd rake in a sizable $150,000 on the high-end, but it appears even Sotheby's underestimated their value. The three pieces of paper in question, signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, Apple's short-lived third founder, fetched a whopping $1.6 million dollars today. The documents originally belonged to Mr. Wayne, who reportedly received just $2,300 after relinquishing his stocks and agreeing to forfeit claims against the big Apple. According to Bloomberg, Sotheby's identified the winning bidder as Eduardo Cisneros, CEO of the Cisneros Corp.
Apple's founding documents go up for auction, estimated to bring in $150k
Sure, your OG iPhone may look like a relic from Apple's past, but for a true bite of old skool memorabilia you may want to consider bidding on the company's original founding documents signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The three-page treasure, which established the Apple Computer Company way back in 1976 won't come cheap, though, as they're expected to go for a cool $100,000 to $150,000. Besides the starting papers, Sotheby's New York is throwing in Ronald Wayne's Statement of Withdrawal as part of the package, a document that gives up his ten percent stake in the biz -- what some may call a $2.6 billion dollar mistake. Check out the source for more auction details.
Daily Update for November 28, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Woz praises the iPhone 4S on TCTV
Steve Wozniak is first in line for the iPhone 4S at the Apple store in Los Gatos, California and TechCrunch caught up with the Apple co-founder to conduct a quick interview. TechCrunch asked him the one question everyone wants to know - why does he wait in line when he could get one shipped to his house? Not surprisingly, Woz says he joins everyone in an overnight wait because he enjoys both the experience of the wait and the excitement surrounding a new piece of technology. He also talks about Siri, a new feature he considers to be the future of technology. He explains how he is tired of tapping on everything and looks forward to seeing how Apple has advanced this technology. Head over to TechCrunch for the full interview.
Steve Wozniak on Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was the man most often associated with Apple, but another Steve played a big part in the formation of the company, and Mr. Wozniak has some kind words about his friend and former business partner. Well said, Woz.
Ronald Wayne's autobiography now in the iBookstore
Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne's autobiography Adventures of an Apple Founder is now available in the iBookstore. Who is Ronald Wayne? Many Apple fans know the story of a young Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, busily working in the Jobs family garage in the 1970s. That effort would lead to the Apple we know today, with each man being credited as Apple co-founder. There was a third party, too, whose name is less synonymous with Apple. Ronald Wayne was the young company's "adult supervision," and drew the very first logo and wrote the manual for the Apple I. Plus, he drew up the original partnership agreement between Jobs and Woz. I'm sure those stories and more are in Adventures of an Apple Founder. He left the company a short time later, and he explains why he does not regret the decision in the book. Those interested in Apple's history will want to pick it up. While you're at it, why not buy iWoz and Steve Jobs for the trifecta?
Woz on Steve: "He deserves some 'Steve time'"
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak spoke with Byte magazine after Steve Jobs -- Woz's former partner -- publicly resigned. Right at the beginning of the interview, Woz describes the sacrifices Jobs has had to make with this own time and attention during his term at Apple: "...I mean, just your time, everybody wants you day and night, that's what I mean by sacrifices. It takes so much out of anyone to be under just constant pressure and demands like that. Steve needs now to just have some 'Steve time.' He deserves it." Further, Woz feels Apple's culture, success and fan base will remain intact as Jobs departs. In particular, Woz says, that's due to the team that remains at Apple. "[Steve Jobs] was surrounded by great, great people at Apple ... and those people are still there. I don't think the core Apple culture will change because of (Jobs') leaving, not for a long time." It's always good to hear from Woz, especially amid such surprising news. [Via Cult of Mac]
Steve Wozniak calls us all dogs, in a nice way
You can stop worrying about the robot apocalypse now. Steve Wozniak has weighed in on the matter, and it turns out we've pretty much lost. The Apple co-founder / dancing star discussed the subject with an Australian business crowd, mapping out a future in which artificial intelligence equals our own, and mankind's own input is meaningless. In other words, "We're going to become the pets, the dogs of the house." Woz added that his take on the whole war thing was, in part, a joke -- it's the part that wasn't that we're worried about. Though if our own dogs' existences are any indication, things could be a lot worse. [Thanks, Shaun]
Vintage Apple-1 up and running
An original Apple-1 sprung back to life during a presentation at the Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy this week. Hand-built by a then young Steve Wozniak, the vintage computer was purchased by Mark Bogle for US$211,000 as part of a high-profile Christie's auction. Despite its age of 35 years, the computer booted smoothly with the help of an oscilloscope to check the wave function of the clock, an NTSC monitor to display text and a MacBook Pro to send a simple BASIC program to the Apple-1's BASIC interpreter. Much to the amusement of the crowd, the Apple-1 displayed the words Hello Polito, a charming reference to the Polytechnic University. [Via Engadget]
Woz interested in returning to Apple in an active role
While in Brighton, England attending a computer server conference, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, told a reporter he would be open to returning to Apple in a active role if Apple or Steve Jobs requested it. Currently, Wozniak is chief scientist of storage start-up Fusion-io, but he remains on Apple's payroll in an advisory role. Apple has come a long way since the Apple I and Apple II, which Woz helped build alongside Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne. When asked what he thought of Apple today, Wozniak said Apple was "Unbelievable. The products, one after another, quality and hits." However, Wozniak added that he thinks "Apple could be more open and not lose sales. I'm sure they're making the right decisions for the right reasons for Apple." Tim Cook is currently the acting CEO of Apple, overseeing its day-to-day operations while Steve Jobs is on his third medical leave. There has been much speculation as to who would replace Steve Jobs should he step down from the CEO position, but it's unknown if those on Apple's board would consider Steve Wozniak a likely successor.
Happy 35th birthday to Apple, Inc.
It's no joke: Apple, Inc. turns 35 today. On April 1, 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne (who 12 days later sold his share of the startup for a meager US$2,300) founded Apple Computer. As a newborn, Apple intended to sell low-cost, hand-manufactured microcomputer components to fellow members of the local Homebrew Computer Club. [Ron Wayne will be appearing on Fox Business News this afternoon at 3:30 PM to talk about his early Apple experiences. –Ed.] Not satisfied with selling a few parts to a handful of enthusiasts, a persistent Steve Jobs pitched Apple's products to Paul Terrell, owner of a newly founded computer store in Mountain View, CA, called "Byte Shop." After a few exposures to Jobs' reality distortion field, Terrell agreed to an order of 50 fully assembled Apple I personal computers from the infant company. The two Steves, with a bit of help from their friends (and funded by the sale of a few prized possessions and a favorable loan from a parts supplier) assembled the company's first 50 machines. Together with Byte Shop, Apple put the original machines up for sale at $666.66 each, lighting the match that would later ignite the personal computer revolution.
LIFE's photographic history of computing
LIFE Magazine was a great magazine in its day. Since ceasing monthly publication in 2000 and closing as a newspaper supplement in 2007, the brand itself appears on the occasional "special issue" and has continued showcasing images on its website. You can also browse the LIFE archives through the lovely and free iPad app. LIFE puts together galleries from time to time around various themes, and one that might be relevant to your interests is A Brief History Of Computing. Starting with the abacus and working through history to get to current events (I won't give away the ending!), it's an interesting look at how technology has evolved on the computing front over the last 5,000 years. Highlights include a couple of Steves, a guidance computer from the Apollo space program and the first iPod. Which image is your favorite? P.S. Our own Mike Rose was a manager at the monthly LIFE from 1996 to 2000.
Eighth Circuit declares RAZR a computer under federal law
There's little doubt that today's smartphones are pocketable computers -- they're equally or more powerful than the desktop PCs of yesteryear -- but what about dumbphones? Well, in US v. Kramer, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals just held that a Motorola Motorazr V3 fits the federal statutory definition for a computer -- and quoted Woz in the opinion: "Everything has a computer in it nowadays." Seems a bit silly to call a RAZR a computer, but courts can only interpret existing laws, not make new ones -- and US law says a computer is "an electronic, magnetic, optical, electrochemical, or other high speed data processing device performing logical, arithmetic, or storage functions." Because this was the first time a federal appeals court had ruled on the issue, the Eighth Circuit set a precedent that other courts are likely to follow. And yes, the court is aware such a definition may include microwaves and coffee makers, and informed Congress that it should change the law if it doesn't like it. Regardless of whether you agree, this interpretation added some jail time for a guy who pled guilty to trying to engage in sexual activity with a minor, so the mild absurdity of it all is fine by us. Somewhere Chris Hansen is smiling.
