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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.… (more)
User reviews
Hats off to the man who single-handedly designed and built the last good computer Apple ever made (that would be the Apple II)...nice story.
The book will be interesting to a specialized
Some observations:
1) When he claims to have "invented" the personal computer, he's not being too grandiose. He created some really beautiful early computers. The lore is that these contraptions were the first to have typewriter based keyboards; the first to be useable right out of the box; the first low-cost computers to have color, sound, hi-res graphics, and floppy disks. He developed software that changed industry standards. And to believe Wozniak is to believe that he was the origin of these ideas, surrounded by other creative geniuses like Jobs, Osborn, Marsh and others. Perhaps others shared in these innovations. But there's no doubt that Wozniak was one of the great "out of the box" thinkers of the Silicon Valley "revolution." In the book, Wozniak describes developing all of these things.
2) If you haven't looked at an Apple II in awhile, it might be worth doing so while you read the book. The electronic circuits and boards of these early Apple machines were works of art and genius. The components were arranged in ways that defied conventional wisdom. I found the motherboards in the Apple IIs to be simple, elegant and striking. Today, the technology is obsolete but the beauty endures. Wozniak's story is more interesting when you realize that he's primarily responsible for this great stuff.
3) The book helps elucidate Wozniak's personality and thinking style. He's the math-science-electrical guy who works privately in the back while he implements his (and others') visions of what a product can be. (If you've examined the electronics and layout of those old machines, then you have no problem believing that Wozniak was the science-math-electrical guy who was part scientist, part artist). In the book, Wozniak shares influences, anecdotes and pranks. This is not the guy who habitually seeks power, or the limelight. He's the guy who normally would toil in obscurity, surrounded by friends and thinkers who let him do his thing and appreciate his skillful vision (and nutty sense of humor). He was able to work among the corporate power brokers for a number of years, on his terms, but he's not the sort of person who will immerse himself in corporate culture for long. It may be that his `81 plane crash and brain injury signaled the end of his cutting-edge work at Apple. But it is hard to imagine someone like Wozniak shifting gears and living forever amongst the suits... even at Apple. I can believe that Steve Wozniak is a brilliant guy with a big heart and a wicked sense of humor. I can imagine how his sense of generosity, justice and creative thinking might make it hard to endure the growing pains of a company like Apple.
4) Wozniak offers his advice on what it takes to be a great engineer: Don't waver; see things in grayscale; work alone; follow your instincts. His thoughts on these matters are worth a look. Keep in mind that he's telling you about his way, which jibes with his personal style. There's no one right way.
5) Guy Kawasaki (former Apple employee) has written a review of this book. It can be found online. His take is different than mine, though he, too, offers a positive review.
6) There are plenty of other books, and even a movie, on Wozniak, Jobs and the PC revolution. There are other books that focus on Wozniak (e.g., Kendall, Lemke, Capps). Wozniak has a website that contains lots of autobiographical info. Then there's "Pirates of Silicon Valley", the movie. Personally, I'm not particularly interested in getting caught up in all the Apple/PC drama that has made its way to the media. But maybe you are...
The story of Apple's founding and
Wozniak starts, logically enough, at the beginning and proceeds to tell his life story more or less in chronological order. One of the more interesting elements of his biography is the relatively scant amount of attention that is paid to Woziniak's time developing the original Apple computer and his time with the company. While this is obviously what he is most famous for, it is also obvious that it isn't of substantial consequence to him.
[More forthcoming]
The book is very interesting. The only disappointment I had was that not a
What I noted was his near aversion to material success, desiring to
Interestingly, it was that last chapter that shifted my opinion of much of the book and its writing style. I feel as though the first nineteen chapters were almost just establishing his background and accomplishments and such so that he could build up the authority to say what he really wanted to say in chapter twenty, which is to encourage the young to follow their dreams and talents, to be unafraid of others' expectations and discouragements, to go forth and do. I have to wonder, then, if the seemingly childish writing style was intentional, meant to reach those very youngsters that that last chapter seemed meant to address. I don't know. At least that would give more sense to the style that frustrated many of us. If so, it might have served better to say something to that effect early on, to reframe expectations with that in mind.
In any case, with that in mind, and just accepting that I found his mode of expression to be somewhat childishly clumsy, I did appreciate the core of the his stories, anyway, and ended up appreciating the book as a whole by the time I'd finished it more than I'd thought I would along the way. At the same time, I can easily see how that same story-telling style would drive some adult readers away long before then.
The impression this book left me was an attempt to set the record straight, which is never a good thing in a biography.
Writing-wise the book is
If you're really interested to know the Wozniak's personal take on the "invention" of the personal computer, go ahead and read it. If not, there's already a all bunch of information on the web, where the record is already straight... Stick to it.
The Apple I and especially the Apple II computers seemed to be his biggest accomplishment, and he explains why these were a success, while other products (like the Apple III) were not. He also tells what it was like to work for different companies (such as HP), and to start one (for making a universal remote control). His experience with anterograde amnesia was interesting, as a biological rather than technological problem. I thought he made it clear that he is very honest, yet still with human flaws, like not being able to keep a marriage together. He seems like a very good person in any case, and has used his knowledge and production for good. Now, too, the record may be set straight on a few legends surrounding Apple and the Home Brew Computer Group. This was an easy-to-follow book (at one point the reader is reminded this is a “family” book), and it is well-paced, probably thanks in large part to Gina Smith. It is always interesting to hear people tell their stories, and this gives a solid background on the foundations of much of the technology we use today.
The Apple I and especially the Apple II computers seemed to be his biggest accomplishment, and he explains why these were a success, while other products (like the Apple III) were not. He also tells what it was like to work for different companies (such as HP), and to start one (for making a universal remote control). His experience with anterograde amnesia was interesting, as a biological rather than technological problem. I thought he made it clear that he is very honest, yet still with human flaws, like not being able to keep a marriage together. He seems like a very good person in any case, and has used his knowledge and production for good. Now, too, the record may be set straight on a few legends surrounding Apple and the Home Brew Computer Group. This was an easy-to-follow book (at one point the reader is reminded this is a “family” book), and it is well-paced, probably thanks in large part to Gina Smith. It is always interesting to hear people tell their stories, and this gives a solid background on the foundations of much of the technology we use today.