Steve Wozniak
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Found Footage: Woz on Big Bang Theory
Nerds squealed with delight last night as the geekiest comedy on American television, The Big Bang Theory, featured a cameo by Steve Wozniak. The Apple co-founder played himself in a brief scene with the gang from the show (Is that his daughter next to him at the table?). He was pretty funny and seemed comfortable on camera. In fact, Steve is an old hand at TV by now, having appeared on Dancing With The Stars and My Life on the D-List. In case you missed it, you can watch it above (sorry about the audio quality -- we'll keep an eye out for the official version). Good job, Woz!
Found Footage: Project 2000 from 1988 on the direction of computing
This video has been around for quite a long time, but my guess is that you haven't seen it. It posits how future computers will used for education and literacy. Watching it you'll be taken by how much they got right and how other concepts got short shrift. One surprising thing is that it focuses almost totally on voice input and doesn't mention the concept of a touch screen interface. Instead it displays a trackball-type device with four buttons that doesn't presage multi-touch devices. A good deal of the footage was taken from 1987's Knowledge Navigator video which got a lot more play at the time. Project 2000 includes interviews with: Steve Wozniak on the start of computing in education and personal agents Diane Ravitch, the past director of the Encyclopedia Britannica, on using computers to motivate students and the challenges of adult literacy Alan Kay on computer simulation and visualization Alvin Toffler, most known as the author of Future Shock, on text translations Ray Bradbury on a variety of subjects The most talked about topic is hypermedia, the most integrated concept in modern computing and a major building block of the World Wide Web which was six years old at the time, however the WWW isn't mentioned. Oops my mistake. The World Wide Web starting with the Mosaic browser didn't happen until 1993. This is illuminative viewing and if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend you do so. The differences between what the speakers saw as the future and how things turned out is quite enlightening. Thanks Eric for sending this in.
In Brief: Woz' Big Bang Theory episode airs September 30th
I'm looking forward to the Big Bang Theory episode with Steve Wozniak, both because I'm a fan of the show, and because who doesn't love the Woz? A post on the CBS forums says that the episode with the Apple co-founder is coming up on September 30th, just the second episode of the show's new season. There's no information yet on why Woz will appear with the nerds on the show, but the plot of the episode apparently has wacky physicist Sheldon Cooper trying to put his brain into the body of a robot in an effort to stay immortal. As you can see in the picture to the right, he either succeeds or (more likely) has a sitcom fantasy about succeeding, so maybe Woz will appear in a dream sequence. At any rate, it should be fun -- The Big Bang Theory pretty successfully walks the line of friendly sitcom mixed in with some well-done geek cultural references. I'll be setting my Tivo for September 30th. Thanks to Steaps for the tip!
Woz coming to the Big Bang Theory
Our own Steve Wozniak is scheduled to appear on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory sometime later this year, the cast and crew told an audience at their Comic-Con panel this weekend. Woz is already no stranger to television, of course, but I think this is the first time he's appeared on a non-reality show, so we'll get to take a look at the guy's acting chops. There weren't any details on who he'd be playing (presumably himself), or how he came into contact with the show's four nerdy scientists and/or their pretty neighbor. I like the Big Bang Theory -- while it does succumb to the sitcom genre's usually corny conventions, it's a pretty smart show, and the nerd references are sincere and constant (geekstar Wil Wheaton has also appeared on the show a few times, and I remember seeing Firefly's Summer Glau and BSG's Katee Sackhoff on there as well). Plus, it's always great to see Woz out and about -- we'll keep an eye out for his appearance on the show's season four this year.
iPhone 4 launch day line watch (update: Woz in action)
From the London store Welcome to the latest installment of our annual tradition: the iPhone launch day queue experience in pictorial form. London's getting the party started early (not as early as some, admittedly) with a sizable crowd turning the corner from the Apple Store at Regent Street, but we'll keep this post updated with imagery from all over the place. Wouldn't mind if you helped us out with a few of your own pics, either. You know where to send them in by now, and once you've done that, feel free to slide past the break to see how everyone else is doing it. Update: Now with reports from San Francisco! Update 2: NY joins the fray! Update 3: We added some of the more interesting reader-submitted stories. Update 4: Reports from Palo Alto and San Jose, California! Update 5: London's doors have swung open and we're now busy activating our brand new Apple phones. Update 6: Woz and his Segway make their regular appearance at the San Jose Valley Fair Apple Store. Update 7: We're adding a bunch of reader reports. Even as Apple opens its doors to pre-orderers in the US, the lines remain crazy. Update 8: Apple serving fries in Chicago! Update 9: We've added our London video that was intended for the latest Engadget Show. Enjoy!
Found Footage: Honoring Apple from 1976 to the Italian introduction of the iPad
In honor of the Italian release of the iPad, iPadItalia has created one of the best Apple-oriented videos I've ever seen. In 10 minutes (yes, it's quite long for this type of thing), the video lovingly covers Apple from its origin in 1976 right up to today when those in Italy, and many other countries, can finally get their hands on the magical and revolutionary iPad. The video is totally professional and really deserves recognition. With frenetic energy, just about every Apple product is displayed. It is a valentine to Steve Jobs, even showing him age from 15 to 55, and ending up with rejoicing over the European introduction of the iPad. This is a video that will warm every fanboy's heart and really captures the excitement that we've felt about Apple over the last 34 years. Enjoy!
Apple employee #66: Mac, iPhone and iPad created in similar way
In his latest post at AskTog.com, Bruce Tognazzini highlights the similarities between Steve Jobs's approach in bringing to market the original Macintosh, the iPhone, and now the iPad. For Tognazzini, known as "Tog" in computing circles, the success of these products is a byproduct of this approach. Like the original Mac, the original iPhone shipped with only a handful of apps. The iPhone also lacked common features on other smartphones, such as copy and paste, searching, MMS support, and contact search. Also, like the original Mac, the iPhone was created by a very small group -- most of them young and driven -- who worked in an ultra secretive environment. The small team environment meant that some capabilities had to be left out of a first release in order to focus on the most important features. The tradeoff, however, produces a superior user experience instead of a "rambling labyrinth of disjointed features." The result was a core that could be built upon for years without the need to start from scratch. While Tog doesn't mention it, this focused and "essential feature" mindset also serves a marketing function. It gets people talking. Think about how excited you were when an iPhone firmware upgrade presented you with something new, such as copy and paste. Remember, too, how much buzz this generated in the media and how Apple touted these features. These highlights and more, including details on the decision to add arrow keys to the Mac, are detailed in Tog's post. Bruce Tognazzini's knowledge of the Mac stems from his experience at Apple. During his 1978 to 1992 tenure at Apple as employee #66 (Steve Jobs is #0 and Steve Wozniak is #1), he founded the Apple Human Interface Group and acted as Apple's Human Interface Evangelist. He went on to work at Sun Microsystems, led the design of WebMD, and is currently a principal at the Nielsen Norman Group.
First 3G iPad sighted in the wild, Steve Wozniak plays it cool by riding a Segway (video)
Loyal reader Parth Dhebar is keeping us updated on happenings in the San Jose Valley Fair Apple Store this morning, and earlier laptop signings from the Woz have escalated into an impromptu Segway demo courtesy of the eccentric Apple Inc founder. Where he got the personal transporter from, we don't know, why he's riding it around and doing his best Paul Blart impersonation is not important, what matters is that we've got video of Steve Wozniak on a Segway and it's right after the break. We're also told an iPad has emerged out of the ether for the Woz-man and his fellow early bird queuers to have a tantalizing play around with -- presumably thanks to Apple Store employees treating their patriarch like they should. The perks of being in the right place at the right time, eh? [Thanks, Parth] Update: That's a 3G iPad old Steve is playing around with! Look at the plastic up top. We'll do our usual digging to try and find out how that wily superhero managed to get his mitts on a device that's a good few weeks away from release. Update 2: We've got video of the 3G iPad running Netflix. An Apple engineer apparently walked through the queue with it, it didn't come out of Steve's magical trenchcoat pocket. Update 3: Interested in seeing Woz grab his iPad, sign a few hundred others, and then ride off into the sunset on his Segway? Gallery's just below. %Gallery-89696%
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%
Woz to buy two iPads
Newsweek chatted with one Steve Wozniak the week before the iPad launch, and unsurprisingly, he's going all-in on the new device, and planning on picking up (at least) two, one WiFi and one 3G. He's ordered them up online already, but he says he'll still be stopping by an Apple Store on Friday evening, to "wait in line, just for fun." What a guy. He actually says he didn't think the iPad was for him, since he already had an iPhone, but he says that after thinking about it, he really is excited about the bigger screen and browsing. He also is sure that it will be popular with students and even people who aren't necessarily computer literate. "The iPad simplifies things," he says wisely. "It's like a restart. We all say we want things to be simpler. All of a sudden we have this simple thing." Sounds good. When the iPhone launched, Woz was at the San Jose Apple Store, we believe, so if you're planning on camping out in line there this weekend, keep your eyes open for a jolly computer designer carrying more gadgets than you can count.
Found Footage: Woz on coloring computers
This video of Woz talking about the "revolutionary" idea of putting color into computers is amazing. It sounds like an LSD trip -- he says he was awake for four days in a row, plunged into some sort of television screenglow madness, and somehow emerged from this zeroes-and-ones induced frenzy with a cheap way to create color screens (which we presume eventually found its way in the Apple II). This is why Woz is really the preeminent geek for our times -- he's done some brilliant things with computers, really helped revolutionize the industry, and invented from scratch some of the most amazing things in this already amazing age, and when asked how he did it, he doesn't credit his own intellect or any personal insight. He says he stayed up for four days, and "sometimes, you're not sure if it's going to work because it didn't follow all of the methodology, all of the science that's in the books... but in this case it did." That is quintessential Woz -- way before marketing types put together the "Think Different" slogan, this guy was living it. [via Cult of Mac]
Engadget meets Woz
Engadget's Josh Topolsky got to chat with none other than Woz recently, and they've finally shared a great video of their meeting. Woz says a lot of interesting things in the video (he runs six navigation systems at a time in his car just for comparison's sake, and carries two iPhones nowadays, just in case the battery life runs out), but the most intriguing thing about this video is just seeing the great Wozniak thinking machine race along at the speed of Woz. For example, those two iPhones he carries are the two different colors available. Why? "White and black, black and white. Resistor color codes: zero and nine. Those are the digits they end in!" Gosh, we love Steve Wozniak. You can watch the whole video after clicking the link below.
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%
