I just finished listening to the unabridged version of iWoz. It's basically the autobiography of Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak. I was hoping to get an understanding of the early days of Apple. I've read several books on the subject but this is directly from someone who was there. Alas, I was disappointed. Less than a quarter of the book covers his time at Apple. This is a book about Steve Wozniak, not necessarily about the time he spent changing the world. Steve seems more interested in telling us about his pranks and his high school science projects than about the time in his life that made him famous. Steve goes into excruciating detail about his early days and then blows by his time at Apple in short order. He writes in a style that comes across as arrogant. I don't think he really is, but that's the way the book is written. He thinks very highly of himself. Unless you really want to learn about Steve Wozniak the man, skip this book. If you want to learn about Apple, grab Infinite Loop or Insanely Great (more about the Mac than the Apple //).
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ReplyDeleteWoz has always come across as arrogant to me and in my view has built his celebrity on the hard work and insight of Steve Jobs.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fair to say that without Jobs, Woz would have been a nobody. He would still be a nondescript engineer working at HP. However, it's my opinion that he did some really solid engineering work back then. It's undeniable that he had one of the first working personal computers and was probably the first to hook one up to a regular TV. He definitely has Jobs to thank for making something of it though.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where Steve Jobs would be today if it weren't for Woz. He didn't have the technical acumen to create his own computer. He needed a horse to ride and Woz was that horse. Would he have found another one? Perhaps.