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Steve Wozniak says would consider return to Apple

45 points by srikar 16y ago

sambeau 16y ago
This is a very typical Woz story. A reporter asks Woz a hypothetical question. Woz gives an honest answer. Reporter ignores the statistical insignificance of the hypothetical scenario and reports result as if it has 100% probability of happening. This happens to many great thinkers. Obligatory made-up scenario: Reporter: "If you were in a plane crash in the Andes and the only food you could find was bodies of dead passengers would you eat them?" Thinker: "Hmm.. interesting hypothetical scenario. It is of course impossible to know what anyone would do in such a situation without experiencing it, but it is obvious that the logical thing to do is to eat the bodies so you can be strong enough to seek help. Whether I personally could eat a human is not yet proven." Reporter: "Cannibal!!!"
- skymt 16y ago
  Of course there's an XKCD comic about that: http://xkcd.com/799/ http://xkcd.com/799/
- bcrawford 16y ago
  I've had the opportunity to meet with and talk with Woz before. The man really can't be anything but honest and he just loves talking - to anyone - about technology. He's almost the anti-Apple in that respect.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
famousactress 16y ago
In a number of ways I think Woz actually seems like an interesting fit for Microsoft, in terms of compatibility of culture and bringing values to the table that could move the business forward. I'd be quicker to buy stock in Microsoft if Woz were signing on, than I would Apple.
- CamperBob 16y ago
  I'd be quicker to buy stock in Microsoft if Woz were signing on, than I would Apple. I'd be quicker to buy canned goods and ammunition in such a scenario, because the next thing coming over the mountain will be either zombies or Jesus.
  - xiaoma 16y ago
    Thank you for that. I'm not normally a fan of humorous posts on here, but that was the best laugh I've had all week!
jaysonelliot 16y ago
I'm impressed to see a news article about Apple actually list Ronald Wayne as one of the original founders. He might be the fifth Beatle in some ways, but he was there at the start.
- spinchange 16y ago
  Like Monte Davidoff at Microsoft.
  - shii 16y ago
    Like Craig at Google.
- michaelpinto 16y ago
  He may not be the 5th Beatle, but here's a guy who could be the George Martin of Apple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Markkula http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Markkula
redstripe 16y ago
"In this episode, while investigating the 75 year old wreck of a Federation transport vessel, the Starfleet starship USS Enterprise-D crew discovers the former Chief Engineer of the Constitution class starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), alive in a transporter buffer. After being cleared by Dr. Crusher, Scott is eager to see the advances in technology including a tour of the Engineering deck, but quickly finds that his old knowledge has long been surpassed and his efforts to help are instead getting in the way of normal operations..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relics_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relics_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_G...
- jrockway 16y ago
  Indeed, Apple is no longer a tech company, they are now a brand like Coke and Nike.
  - pstuart 16y ago
    <sarcasm> Indeed! Tablets have been around for years and suddenly there's an Apple logo on one and the fanboys act like it's some sort of technical advance.... </sarcasm>
    - jrockway 16y ago
      Well, uh, tablets have been around for years. And suddenly there's an Apple logo on one, and the fanbois did act like it was amazing. What was amazing was putting phone software on a tablet instead of Windows Tablet Edition on a tablet.
      - ugh 16y ago
        So you say that it is amazing but the "fanbois" are somehow wrong in finding it amazing? I have trouble understanding that. I'm not aware of any widespread denial of the existance of tablet PCs by "fanbois", I remember them quite enjoying mocking those tablet PCs, especially by contrasting them with the iPad. Longer battery life, thinner, lighter, no keyboard, running no desktop OS, you can get one for $500 – all those features together are a genuine innovation and they touch on both hardware and software. That doesn't mean that some or all of those individual components didn't exist in other products often long prior to the iPad. You can't build the iPad without knowing what you do. Just look at how Apple's competitors are still struggling. If making a tablet people want to buy was just a question of taking existing technology and marketing it right there would have been credible iPad competitors much earlier.
gojomo 16y ago
But would Woz join the Google Android team?
rmason 16y ago
Where I think Woz would be a good fit for Apple would be speaking on college campuses and indirectly recruting the best talent for Apple. But the biggest challenge would be for him to stay on message. First time he disagreed with Jobs in public as an Apple employee it would be very awkward. For that reason alone I don't think it would ever happen. Woz is going to be the commencement speaker on May 6th at my alma mater, Michigan State University. They're planning a livestream of his commencement address and I will post the URL on here as soon as I receive it.
- yuhong 16y ago
  >First time he disagreed with Jobs in public as an Apple employee it would be very awkward. Yea, but the illusion that celebrities are perfect is IMO ridiculous, and dates back to what I call "legacy" PR based on controlling the message.
totalforge 16y ago
Woz went back once before, and at one point his manager actually gave him a bad review. Good thing it was pre-internet, or the mgr would never live it down.
- shawndumas 16y ago
  Source?
garindra 16y ago
The first question that came to mind: Does his early computing technical whiz still live up to today's Apple and industry standards?
gobongo 16y ago
Abused housewife says would consider return to husband.

45 points by srikar 16y ago

This is a very typical Woz story. A reporter asks Woz a hypothetical question. Woz gives an honest answer. Reporter ignores the statistical insignificance of the hypothetical scenario and reports result as if it has 100% probability of happening. This happens to many great thinkers. Obligatory made-up scenario: Reporter: "If you were in a plane crash in the Andes and the only food you could find was bodies of dead passengers would you eat them?" Thinker: "Hmm.. interesting hypothetical scenario. It is of course impossible to know what anyone would do in such a situation without experiencing it, but it is obvious that the logical thing to do is to eat the bodies so you can be strong enough to seek help. Whether I personally could eat a human is not yet proven." Reporter: "Cannibal!!!"

skymt 16y ago
Of course there's an XKCD comic about that: http://xkcd.com/799/ http://xkcd.com/799/
bcrawford 16y ago
I've had the opportunity to meet with and talk with Woz before. The man really can't be anything but honest and he just loves talking - to anyone - about technology. He's almost the anti-Apple in that respect.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

famousactress 16y ago

In a number of ways I think Woz actually seems like an interesting fit for Microsoft, in terms of compatibility of culture and bringing values to the table that could move the business forward. I'd be quicker to buy stock in Microsoft if Woz were signing on, than I would Apple.

CamperBob 16y ago
I'd be quicker to buy stock in Microsoft if Woz were signing on, than I would Apple. I'd be quicker to buy canned goods and ammunition in such a scenario, because the next thing coming over the mountain will be either zombies or Jesus.
- xiaoma 16y ago
  Thank you for that. I'm not normally a fan of humorous posts on here, but that was the best laugh I've had all week!

jaysonelliot 16y ago

I'm impressed to see a news article about Apple actually list Ronald Wayne as one of the original founders. He might be the fifth Beatle in some ways, but he was there at the start.

spinchange 16y ago
Like Monte Davidoff at Microsoft.
- shii 16y ago
  Like Craig at Google.
michaelpinto 16y ago
He may not be the 5th Beatle, but here's a guy who could be the George Martin of Apple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Markkula http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Markkula

redstripe 16y ago

"In this episode, while investigating the 75 year old wreck of a Federation transport vessel, the Starfleet starship USS Enterprise-D crew discovers the former Chief Engineer of the Constitution class starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), alive in a transporter buffer. After being cleared by Dr. Crusher, Scott is eager to see the advances in technology including a tour of the Engineering deck, but quickly finds that his old knowledge has long been surpassed and his efforts to help are instead getting in the way of normal operations..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relics_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relics_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_G...

jrockway 16y ago
Indeed, Apple is no longer a tech company, they are now a brand like Coke and Nike.
- pstuart 16y ago
  <sarcasm> Indeed! Tablets have been around for years and suddenly there's an Apple logo on one and the fanboys act like it's some sort of technical advance.... </sarcasm>
  - jrockway 16y ago
    Well, uh, tablets have been around for years. And suddenly there's an Apple logo on one, and the fanbois did act like it was amazing. What was amazing was putting phone software on a tablet instead of Windows Tablet Edition on a tablet.
    - ugh 16y ago
      So you say that it is amazing but the "fanbois" are somehow wrong in finding it amazing? I have trouble understanding that. I'm not aware of any widespread denial of the existance of tablet PCs by "fanbois", I remember them quite enjoying mocking those tablet PCs, especially by contrasting them with the iPad. Longer battery life, thinner, lighter, no keyboard, running no desktop OS, you can get one for $500 – all those features together are a genuine innovation and they touch on both hardware and software. That doesn't mean that some or all of those individual components didn't exist in other products often long prior to the iPad. You can't build the iPad without knowing what you do. Just look at how Apple's competitors are still struggling. If making a tablet people want to buy was just a question of taking existing technology and marketing it right there would have been credible iPad competitors much earlier.

gojomo 16y ago

But would Woz join the Google Android team?

rmason 16y ago

Where I think Woz would be a good fit for Apple would be speaking on college campuses and indirectly recruting the best talent for Apple. But the biggest challenge would be for him to stay on message. First time he disagreed with Jobs in public as an Apple employee it would be very awkward. For that reason alone I don't think it would ever happen. Woz is going to be the commencement speaker on May 6th at my alma mater, Michigan State University. They're planning a livestream of his commencement address and I will post the URL on here as soon as I receive it.

yuhong 16y ago
>First time he disagreed with Jobs in public as an Apple employee it would be very awkward. Yea, but the illusion that celebrities are perfect is IMO ridiculous, and dates back to what I call "legacy" PR based on controlling the message.

totalforge 16y ago

Woz went back once before, and at one point his manager actually gave him a bad review. Good thing it was pre-internet, or the mgr would never live it down.

shawndumas 16y ago
Source?

garindra 16y ago

The first question that came to mind: Does his early computing technical whiz still live up to today's Apple and industry standards?

gobongo 16y ago

Abused housewife says would consider return to husband.