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iWozPersonal Computers are now a huge business, with large numbers of people employed in bringing us the latest design. It's surprising to learn that it started with one person designing and building a computer by himself - and doing it in his spare time. That person was Steve Wozniak and in iWoz he tells his story. Up until now he hasn't written about his life, but in this book one sees how his upbringing led to a fascination with electronics and to him being in the right place at the right time to initiate the personal computer revolution. Wozniak is clearly a genius, but on reading the book I felt that this is accompanied by a kind of awkwardness. Indeed one of the reasons Woznaik had for writing it was to set straight some things that had been said about him in other books. But there's also the question, after creating the Apple II, what then? Others in a similar situation have gone on to run huge business empires, but Wozniak was anxious to avoid getting sucked into management. Certainly he has done many worthwhile things since the first Apple computers, but one gets the feeling that none of them have quite lived up to the excitement of the early days.
| Amazon.com info
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Hardcover
288 pages
ISBN: 0393061434
Salesrank: 154103
Weight:1.35 lbs | | Published: 2006 W. W. Norton | | Amazon price $17.13 | | Marketplace:New from $3.63:Used from $0.90 |
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| Buy from Amazon.com |
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| Amazon.ca info
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Hardcover
320 pages
ISBN: 0755314069
Salesrank: 1499909
Weight:7.2 lbs | | Published: Headline Hardbacks | | Marketplace:New from CDN$ 191.33:Used from CDN$ 0.01 |
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| Buy from Amazon.ca |
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| Product Description
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The mastermind behind Apple sheds his low profile and steps forward to tell his story for the first time.
Before cell phones that fit in the palm of your hand and slim laptops that fit snugly into briefcases, computers were like strange, alien vending machines. They had cryptic switches, punch cards and pages of encoded output. 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, a widely affordable machine that anyone could understand and figure out how to use.
Wozniak's 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. 16 pages of illustrations. |
| iwozard of oz ***** |
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| I got this book because the history of the PC has always interested me and I got to say this is a great book. the seconded UPS dropped it off I started reading it and I did not let it down until it was yesterday morning reading the final sentence, I'm not going to lie I'm not much of a reader normally so if it's a book I don't put down it's speaking something. In the book at some points the guy is definitely not humble, he kind of has a I'm the best I was first I'm #1 kind of aditutude but he doesn't sound like that mean of a guy. If you have any intreats in the PC or computers or any of that you must read this book. |
| An awesome book for computer lover ***** |
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I haven't finished this book, but I love it a lot. I'm like Woz in some perspective. i'm a programmer, I love coding, I love software, a lot.
This book shares a lot of interesting story of making early computers and Apple. I'm sure you'll love this book if you're still reading comments here :) |
| Interesting story **** |
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| Wozniak tells an interesting story, but not as much about Apple as you would think. Maybe he sees other things in his life as more important than Apple, but I thought the "How I invented the personal computer" part would be more detailed. All in all, I would recommend this book to a friend. |
| and I thought it was the other Steve who was the jerk !! ** |
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Okay, well he's a nice jerk, but still...
This book typifies Apple the computer and Apple the company to a "T". Style and image and little real substance. In the main, that goes for Apple users as well.
Yes, Woz did some cool stuff, but so did many of the other pioneers of the the mid-70s era. And his stuff was by no means so revolutionary as he claims.
He goes on for several pages extolling his two-chip floppy card. Well, if he'd simply used a real floppy controller chip like the others (such as the Western Digital 17xx series FDCs used in the TRS-80) his drive might have actually worked. Because of his el-cheapo approach, he couldn't use the reliable FM and MFM encoding. Instead he was forced to use Group Code Recording, which is supposedly self-clocking. Yes, it works OK, but ***only when the drive is new***. When the head drifts out of alignment, the clamping mechanism starts slipping, or if the drive speed goes off, his amateurish scheme fails big time. I happen to know because I worked for several years as a disk duplicator for a big-time software publisher, and I saw for myself the people in the customer support department tearing their hair out and climbing the walls taking calls and processing returns from irate customers with their piece-of-**** Apple drives.
His info on the TRS-80 on pages 208 and 209 is completely wrong. It didn't earn the moniker "Trash-80" for nothing (spontaneous reboots, key bounce, lousy cassette, etc), but it was hardly as primitive as he describes.
He gloats because his Apple II can go up to 48K and the "Trash-80" only goes up to 4K. HA! In 1977 the first Model Is were sold with 4K (when many other computers only had 1K or 2K), but all could be later upgraded when 16K chips became available.
Contrary to Woz, the TRS-80 also had a "real" keyboard. Unlike the Apple, you could install a numeric keypad in the main unit. So much for being the greatest ever "business machine" (I must admit though that Tandy skimped on lowercase letters, just to save $1 in hardware)
Yes Woz, the TRS-80 does graphics. Sure, they're block graphics in black and white, but with CPUs as slow as they were back in that day, that's all you can do well. The Apple had sharp color graphics, but all it could do was static displays because the piddling 1 Mhz 6502 could push all those pixels around. The '80 had many wonderful games with objects zooming all over the screen, you should check it out.
He says the Apple could be programmed in machine language or BASIC, and that made it a business machine (Visicalc came later). Not the TRS-80, which is BASIC only. Wrong. Look back into all the articles in 80 Microcomputer having to do with coding in assembler, and moreover, how to interface BASIC with m/c subroutines in protected memory. The Apple has no means of protecting memory, it's all or nothing there, no flexibility.
Speaking of BASIC, only Tandy had the good sense to include Microsoft Basic in their machine. Compare Applesoft vs. TRS-80 Level II feature for feature. No contest, the Woz machine doesn't do complex strings, no double-precision floating point, file handling is a joke. Yes, Apple had Visicalc first, but that was only because Bricklin picked the Apple completely at random as his development target -- it says so in Accidental Empires by Robert Cringely. But Visicalc was not everything, there are hundreds of business apps besides, and in this day they were mostly written in BASIC, and the "Trash-80" was the only computer with a REAL BASIC.
This exemplifies Woz's whole approach to the Apple -- cheap cheap cheap. Cheap CPU, cheap disk drives, cheap software. Typically Apple: cheap in everything but $$$.
Woz completely omits the fact that to buy an Apple you had to buy it through mail-order (at least until later when they got some dealers). Of course he doesn't mention that Radio Shack was the first computer retailer EVER where you could bring it in for servicing or upgrading, buy approved accessories and software, and get training. Apple users had to settle for "user groups" for support. Since we're talking about Apple users here, perhaps I should say "user groupies".
Much is made of the Apple's presence in the educational market. Fact is, the TRS-80 had a greater market penetration here. It's not well known because Tandy was famous for not disclosing its sales figures. Here again Apple propoganda reigns supreme.
Which reminds me, it was Tandy's massive advertising efforts that were the coattails that Apple rode to the market on.
I hope all these specific examples show what this book is about: Woz's self-loving ego. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, and there were some good things to the Apple (color hi-res 80-column screen, sound, slots), but he wasn't all that, child.
If you want to read a really good, even heroic, story of an inventor-genius, read this one: Copies in Seconds by David Owen. How a Lone Inventor and an Unknown Company Created the Biggest Communications Breakthrough since Gutenberg - Chester Carlson and the Birth of the Xerox Machine. And do get the hardcover, after you read this tale you'll be glad to have the deluxe version.
Woz could learn more than a thing or two about writing from this book.
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| A fun historical view for nerds and humans **** |
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| The book starts off with an almost offensive ego-centric 'I was the first' type of thing and lacks humility but, when he starts getting technical and juicy about details, it's really fun! I think Steve Woz was right in there with the true innovators. I'd like to read about some other actual inventive people of the time, but his details are amazing, and basic enough to be accessible. If you're just an Apple fanboy or a computer everything lover, this will get you inside the feel of those times...which were pretty darned exciting if you ask me. Wozniak's delight at his and others breakthroughs make this a good and fun book to read. |
| Entertains but doesn't enlighten *** |
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"Iwoz" offers little insight into the worlds of electronics and business. If you're looking for a text on either, this is not the place to start.
It does, however, tell the not uninteresting story of America's answer to Sir Clive Sinclair. In summary, Wozniak had one brilliant idea (the Apple II) and thereafter went on to invent the universal TV remote. Then there is far too much information about how he organised rock concerts (is this some sort of attempt to try and show that even though he didn't invent the Ipod, he's still hip?) And then he went into teaching. Those who can...?
I'm not sure that we really get to know the real Steve Wozniak from this book. If it IS to be believed, he had a refreshing dislike of corporate culture, was good to his co-workers and was on occasion even known to give stuff away. But on the other hand, he goes through at least 3 wives and without really telling us why - is this what we expect of a nice guy? Do we really, as the cover claims, get "to the core of Apple's inventor"? If we do then fine, but I'm not entirely convinced on the evidence of this.
The big-headed writing style is at first a bit irritating: SW appears to be the perfect human being and knows it. But all that starts to crumble very subtly as the references to the Apple II (which HE obviously rates very highly) increase disproportionately. The expression "Pooterism" springs to mind.
Commendably, he doesn't hide his admiration for the Ipod (which was produced after his effective departure from Apple). In fact I think the subconscious title for this book would be something like "How I failed to invent the Ipod despite the fact I'm really very clever and I'm far too positive a person to be bitter about it".
The FT Magazine review quote ("oddly endearing...") quoted in Amazon's product info, hits the nail on the head.
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| Interesting story - poorly written *** |
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| I very much enjoyed reading about Steve Wozniak - a genius if ever there was one. However, the book is poorly written in my opinion and that's a shame has his story is so interesting. |
| OMG - This book is inspiring! You don't have to be an Apple fanboy. ***** |
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| Am doing A-Level electronics and every time i turn the page i change my mind as to what i want to do for my project. I can see what people mean about him being arrogant but once you get 50 pages in the stories are so thrilling you'll get over it. Am currently thinking about building a pong machine (like he did). Great for nerds, maybe not so much for literature. |
| A must read for any Apple fans. ***** |
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A fantastic autobiography from the Woz himself. His happy go lucky enthusiastic personality shines through in this book. Very interesting even if you are not particular into computers or the history of them.
He tends to come across a little bit arrogant at times, but that doesnt impact the book at all.
loved reading this. |
| Very Average *** |
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I'm not going to give this book a "rave" review. It was very average and whilst parts of it were very interesting, most of it was very dull.
Its a very easy read, if it wasn't I probably would have abandoned it altogether, but often is quite intricate in the explainations of electronics, which was not only above my head but left me cold.
As I said, some parts of it were interesting and funny (his pranks), but despite the back cover you dont get the sense that this was so HUGE REVOLUTION that he uncovered.
Very average and not highly recommended. |
| iWoz, but what is he now? ** |
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I rented this book from my local library and would recommend anyone who is interested in this book to do the same!
This book is strangely written, shoots backwards and forwards in time and contains fair too much technical jargon to be easily read in certain sections. It also includes precious few pages on Apple, whether it be his involvement beyond the Apple II or his real relationship with Jobs. However, it does include everything he was/is amazing at, which is practically everything he touched.
What made me think this was more than a little self-centred was the fact that Apple made this man who and what he is. It made him his hundreds of millions of dollars, but they seem to be largely ignored for his efforts to make festivals profitable (failed) his universal remote (failed) and a couple of other ventures which failed also.
He also talks (quickly) about how he left Apple, returned and left again on a couple of occasions. As a major shareholder he can obviously do this, but that must have cheesed off the management so much that he stayed until he wanted to try something new then left again.
Overall, I wanted to learn more about Wozniak and I did. I don't think he was the amazing driving force behind Apple and I'm not sure it was Jobs either. I think there are far too many people who have been lost in history who made Apple work (some of whom are mentioned in his book) it would be nice to see an Apple related book with some of these guys mentioned also. |
| Woz: iAm the best **** |
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A lot of people have commented on Steve being completely self absorbed in his writting, which I agree with. After a while I got tired of reading how amazing he was at what age and what amazing things he's achieved all by himself and how great it is to beat everyone else at everything. I did enjoy the book though. It was a fairly easy read when it comes to the language.
It can get quite hairy when it gets into the technical terminologies, especially if you're not as familier with them. I picked it up thinking it'll be more about Apple and his career with them but to tell the truth he was over that in barely a few chapters if even that and most of the way through. Majority of the time he just made it as though he wanted to be this low grade engineer 'guy' that tweaks things at the office, a grade up from his bedroom and doesn't actually want anything to do with the other bits and pieces.
Over all I feel that he skips around quite a lot from the subjects and time periods he is writting about. We ran right through most of the 90s and barely a mention of the 2000s. Overall I feel it's a generally interesting book, especially if you're interested in what I feel is a biased view about the start of Apple, but I wouldn't rely on this book to fully understand Apple's beginning years at all. |
| My idol has feet of clay ** |
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It is hard to describe just how disappointed I am after reading this book.
I had always believed the hype - Steve Wozniak was the genius who created the products that made Apple, and Steve Jobs was the shyster who profited from Woz's efforts. As an engineer myself I was always on Woz's side.
In his own words Woz damns himself as a vainglorious egomaniac, with no head at all for business. Yes, he was a talented, if somewhat mercurial, engineer - the disk interface in particular was an excellent bit of work - but the rest of his efforts were not as uniquely brilliant as he would have you believe.
I can see now that the real talent which made Apple was that employed by the other Steve. Woz's efforts soon petered out - once the Apple II was designed he seemed to lose interest, preferring to look back not forward.
The technical baton was picked up by others, and it can't be said Woz was particularly missed. Apple survived the dire efforts of Scully, and went on to prosper under Steve Jobs.
Woz lives on in his own mind as the towering genius who invented the personal computer in the shape of the Apple II. Sadly he is unable to move on from that - his book is an open invitation to the world to give him credit he obviously feels he has been denied. He comes across as an immature, even childish, person who cannot see any faults in himself, and as someone who feels a victim of those who do not share his own high standards.
The book is worth a read for those interested in the early days of the microprocessor revolution, but you have to take with a pinch of salt Woz's aggrandisement.
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| Bad, bad, bad, this book is baaaad... * |
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This is a copy of my review of the original hardback edition of the book...
I love books about computer history and culture. I really looked forward to this book but found it hugely disappointing, poorly written, repetitive, bragging etc. I never did understand why Woz and Jobs have become such cultural icons (I was there in the seventies/eighties and never thought too much of Apples products technically, pretty, but crap compared to the Z80 based machines I was brought up on) but I thought it would be interesting to read the history of the Apple 1 from the horses mouth (I never rated Job's accounts much as they are completely spun PR wise). I don't rate the MAC either but thoroughly enjoyed Andy Hertzfeld's book on the subject (Revolution in The Valley). In the end Woz has reinforced the notion that he was not a very brilliant engineer who just happened to be in the right place at the right time and partnered with the right guys. |
| Fun to read **** |
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| As a programmer and an Apple fan, this book was great. It's written as a series of anecdotes, so it's an easy read. Woz is quirky and funny, so this book has no shortage of stories worth retelling. |
| A Simple Autobiography, an Inspiration to Engineers **** |
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Steve Wozniak, the usually unheralded half of the two Steves who founded Apple, is one of the world's most respected computer engineers, having nearly singlehandedly invented the modern personal computer in a garage.
iWoz is an account of 'his side' of the story of how the personal computer was created with the help of Steve Jobs, along with a few tales from his earlier school days and later post-Apple days. It's a fairly short but engaging read, and certainly not a seriously reflective autobiography by any standards.
Wozniak spends a great deal of time discussing his work with electronics and computers, mostly done in his pre-college and early college years, making all the work he did seem like child's play. In it, he also intersperses many of his stories with tales of his pranks. Wozniak makes it clear that he's a real prankster, and it becomes a recurring theme in the book.
His language is not too complicated, and can be reasonably followed by studious readers, but some technical terms will be out of reach for less technically-oriented readers. That's just as well, because his intended audience most definitely consists of technically adept individuals. He is, as some say, the ultimate geek, and his enthusiasm for all things electronic shine through the rather bland writing.
Aspiring Electrical and Computer Engineers will find the book inspiring, noting how dedicated Wozniak was in his craft, spending all his days and nights playing around with electronic components and circuit diagrams - inventing a great many things along the way. If nothing else, it's certainly touching to read about how Wozniak passionately follows his hobbies to completion.
Wozniak does mention his good friend Steve Jobs throughout the book, of course, but it is clear that Jobs' influence on Wozniak was not one of technical inspiration, but that of a visionary and ambition entrepreneur, constantly needing the help of Wozniak to advance the state of the art. Anyone who knows a good deal of Jobs' work at Apple will find Woz's account enlightening, and perhaps knock Jobs down a peg or two on the awesome scale (Wozniak, after all, did all the real grunt work of inventing stuff).
The latter portions of Woz post-Apple are not as interesting, though some may find his accounts of his later pursuits such as elementary school teaching, more interesting and relevant than I did as an engineer.
Overall, iWoz was an easy read, and a fairly good one for those who want to get a glimpse inside the mind of a true engineer. Those who read it will remember the book well, although it doesn't provide the reader with any real social or entertainment value. |
| A must-read ***** |
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| Wozniak may not be the best author in the world, but his story is clearly one of the best. All computer geeks out there should read this book, it is the beginning of personal computing. You'll learn how it all started, directly from the guy who built the very first personal computer. Highly recommended. |
| Don't buy the book.. go to the library. * |
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Somewhat interesting.... but really, it reads as though a 12 yr old wrote it. And not a 12 yr old genious.
Woz maybe a genious and nice guy (so it seems), but it was painful to read.
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