Steve Wozniak - an enthusiast who changed the world of personal computers

Steve Wozniak is a less well-known, but equally important founder of Apple. It is also called The WoZ (Woz - derived from the last name) and Another Steve (another Steve). Moreover, it was Wozniak who developed the first computer of the current IT giant.

Woz is a real inventor, an engineer who sought to solve problems creatively. Even before the advent of Apple, his talent had time to find a great use.
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“I was an engineer at HP developing the iPhone 5 of the time, their engineering calculators. There I had a lot of friends and a good reputation. I created things for people all over the country for entertainment, including the first movie rental system for hotels and SMPTE timecode readers for the commercial video world, ” recalls Steve Wozniak.

Childhood, education, hobbies

Steve Wozniak was born on August 11, 1950 in San Jose (California), in the family of an engineer, his mother - Margaret Elaine Kern (born 1923) from Washington. His father, Jacob Francis "Jerry" Wozniak (1925-1994) from Los Angeles, a graduate of the California Institute of Technology, worked as an engineer in the company Lockheed, engaged in the development of missile guidance systems. That father instilled in young Steve a love of electronics.

I felt that I knew secrets that no one else knows.

At school, the boy liked most to collect and disassemble existing calculators, radios and some other electronic devices. While in grade 4, Wozniak received a license from a radio amateur, and in the eighth he collected a sophisticated calculator that won the first prize at a city competition held by the BBC.

According to Steve Wozniak, school was bored: “Children come to school full of curiosity. They want to know what is inside the box, and in response they hear: “No, you cannot open it”. ”

After school, Steve entered the University of Colorado at Boulder, but due to lack of money from his parents, he only studied there for a year and began to study at the College de Anse in Cupertino, from which he also soon left.

First commercial success

In 1971, Bill Fernandez introduces Wozniak, then a student at College de Anse, with Steve Jobs, a student at Homestead High School in Cupertino. In the autumn of the same year, Wozniak read an article on phone freaks in Esquire magazine. He shared the idea with Jobs.

Wozniak created a Blue Box digital device for hacking telephone networks, including for international calls. At first, the friends had fun, naming in different parts of the world and arranging jokes. Once Wozniak phoned the Vatican and, posing as Henry Kissinger, asked the Pope for a call.

Jobs organized handicraft production of these devices for sale. This business was illegal and quite risky. At first, making one “box” cost Wozniak about $ 80, but then he made a printed circuit board, which made it possible to make 10-20 “boxes” at once, and the cost price of one piece dropped to $ 40.

The friends sold the ready-made “boxes” for $ 150 apiece, the income was divided equally. In total, they did and managed to sell about a hundred "boxes" and earned good money. It was decided to stop the business, as too risky, after another potential buyer, threatening with a pistol, took away their device and disappeared.

While still in school, Wozniak independently learned Fortran and began working for Sylvania.

Ping pong

In 1976, by agreement with Jobs, Wozniak in four days created a prototype of the PCB of the Pong game for Atari in Los Gatos, which produced slot machines. Wozniak had to simplify the machine with the classic game Ping Pong. He, being a perfectionist, developed a board in the most simplified scheme, while reducing the number of TTL chips to only 42 pieces. He gave this design to Jobs, but it was impossible to translate it into hardware — it was too compact and complicated to be implemented in the Atari production of that time.

Jobs nevertheless received money for him, and since the contract for reducing the number of used chips accrued a bonus (at the rate of $ 100 per chip), he received $ 5,000. Wozniaku, he paid only $ 350, arguing that it was half the amount previously discussed ($ 700). For the production of Atari had to develop its own version, which contained about 100 chips.

Recently, a similar game appeared in the Apple Watch. It is made in a minimalist style and allows you to use the Apple Watch “crown” as a controller. The developers have provided the arcade mode and the mode "on departure", in which the player needs to fight with virtual opponents.

Apple I

In the 75th year, Siv Wozniak said goodbye to the University of California, never having completed his studies, and devoted himself to the field of high technologies.



After a while, he finished work on the new Apple I computer, which eventually made him famous.

He did not hope for any success, but simply made it only to impress the members of the Homebrew Computer Club computer enthusiast. Wozniak was a regular at this club, located in Palo Alto.

“I shared my schemes for free to help people who supported the idea that computers change lives in many ways (communication, education, productivity, and so on). I was inspired by Stanford intellectuals like Jim Warren talking about this at club meetings, Wozniak wrote .

In 1975, a computer called the Altair 8800, developed by MITS, appeared on the market. By the time Wozniak already worked in a well-known company Hewlett-Packard.



According to his stories, they had only one computer in the company, which some 80 engineers who were constantly standing in line had to use. Steve Wozniak understood how important it is for a technology company to be equipped with the necessary equipment. But then not everyone could afford to buy a computer for $ 400.

In its ease of use, the Apple I was years ahead of the Altair 8800. The latter had no display and no real data storage. The computer received commands using switches (one program could require several thousand switches made without a single error), and its output device was a set of flashing lights. The Altair 8800 was great for people doing electronics as a hobby. For this kind of people, its nature, which requires compulsory assembly, was just a specific feature, but, unfortunately, it was completely unsuitable for the general public.



In contrast, Wozniak's computer was a fully assembled and working device, carrying a microprocessor MOS Technology 6502 worth $ 20 and a ROM. To get a real PC, it remains to add a little RAM, keyboard and monitor.

Apple I’s commercial success and company creation

Steve Jobs had far-reaching plans for Wozniak's new computer. He decided that Apple I can not only give, but also sell in the form of a finished PC.

Soon Jobs and Wozniak received the first order for 50 computers from Paul Therella, the owner of the chain store Byte. According to legend, the assembly and debugging of the first batch of computers was carried out with the help of relatives and friends in Jobs 'bedroom, and later, when all the free space was taken, they moved to Jobs' garage. However, in 2014, Wozniak told the truth: for such a complex production, a serious material and technical base was required, so the Hewlett-Packard laboratory was used.

The Apple I computer was put up for sale at a price of $ 666.66. Jobs and Wozniak soon sold about 250 of their first computers.



Soon, Steve Jobs suggested creating his own company and selling Wozniak's invention, but moving from industrial to industrial. Wozniak was skeptical at first, but Jobs knew how to convince him. He did not entice Wozniak with the profitability of the project, but simply said that it would be an exciting adventure, and even if they burn out, they would at least be able to tell their grandchildren that they owned their own company.

"When you do things for your own pleasure, nothing stops you from total creativity and genius."

On April 1, 1976, Jobs and Wozniak registered Apple Computer. To do this, they sold their valuables (Wozniak, for example, sold the scientific calculator HP, and Jobs van (Volkswagen), helped out 1,300 dollars.

Wozniak could now focus on fixing flaws and extending the functionality of the Apple I.

Apple I was the fifth case when something I created (and not collected on the basis of someone else's scheme) was turned into money by Jobs. My game Pong [Breakout] gave him his job at Atari, but he was never an engineer or programmer. I have been a regular member of the Homemade Computers Club since its inception, and Jobs did not know about its existence. I took my schemes to the Club meetings and showed there, having great success. I was not unsociable, although I was shy in relationships with others.

Wozniak resigned from Hewlett-Packard and became vice president in charge of research and development at Apple.

The ability to create a large company overnight still exists, but we founded Apple at such a unique point in time when one person could assemble all the parts alone and build a computer. Those days are past. The inventor will develop the idea whether it is taken to a large company or not. For him, the process is important. I look at the requirements for work experience and education, which are needed in order to get to Apple, and I understand: Steve Jobs and I would never have been hired here.

Apple II

His new design was to retain the most important characteristics: simplicity and ease of use.

In a new computer, Apple II Wozniak introduced high-resolution color (raster) graphics. Now his computer could display not only text and symbols, but also images: “I added the ability to output in high resolution. At first it was just two chips, because I didn’t know if it would be useful to people. ”



By 1978, he also designed the inexpensive Disk II floppy disk controller. Together with Randy Wigginton, he wrote Apple DOS and the file system. Shepardson Microsystems was involved in creating a simple console interface for its DOS.

In addition to developing hardware, Wozniak wrote most of the software that worked for Apple. He wrote Calvin's advanced programming language, a set of virtual instructions for a 16-bit processor, known as SWEET16, and Breakout, a computer game that caused the addition of sound.

In 1980, Apple placed its shares on the stock exchange, which made Jobs and Wozniak millionaires. Over the next several years, Apple II was the main source of revenue for Apple and ensured the viability of the company when its leadership took on much less profitable projects, such as the ill-fated Apple III and the little-lived Apple Lisa computer. Thanks to Apple II's robust earnings, the company was able to develop a Macintosh, bring it to market and make it its core technology.

In the film “Jobs” (2015), Woz repeatedly asks Jobs to mention the Apple II team at the presentation of new Mac computers:

“Just mention the main guys !!! This is an important milestone in the history of personal computers. Everything here is built thanks to the Apple II. ”

Interrupted flight

After Woz crashed on a plane in 1981, he actually left Apple. According to Wozniak, he simply lost interest in her and engaged in more attractive projects.

Creativity is not when you do something familiar. This is when there are ideas on how to do something that you have never done before. And you take resources and do something that never existed before.

Steve Jobs was furious. He strongly interfered with new initiatives of Steve Wozniak, but could not return a friend to his home company. By the way, Woz is still listed as an Apple employee and even gets paid.

In 82-83, Stephen sponsored two large-scale rock festivals, The US Festival, representing a unique fusion of high technology, music, people, and television. He drew such rock mastodons as the Scorpions, VanHalen, U2, MotleyCrue, JudasPriest.



Few people know that Wozniak was the main initiator of the famous teleconference between the USA and the USSR, held in 1982.

In 83rd year, he returned to Apple, becoming the chief engineer and developer.

12 years after the foundation of the company, on February 6, 1987, Wozniak again leaves Apple, this time for good.
Wozniak then founded the new company CL9, which developed remote controls. It launched the first universal remote control. Out of anger, Jobs threatened his suppliers to stop business with Wozniak, otherwise they would lose business with Apple.

He found other suppliers, in return for those with whom he worked for four years and was greatly disappointed in his closest friend.

Wozniak went into teaching (he taught fifth grade students) and charitable activities in the field of education. After his dismissal from Apple, Wozniak transferred all his money for the technological program of the Los Gatos school district (the district in which Steve lives and in which his children attend school). Unuson (Unite Us in Song) is an organization that Steve founded to organize two National Festivals, and is now mainly used for his educational and philanthropic projects.

In 2001, he founded the company "Wheels Of Zeus" to create a wireless GPS-technology, which was to "help ordinary people find ordinary things." In 2002, he joined the board of directors of Ripcord Networks Inc., which includes all Apple graduates.

Later that year Wozniak became a member of the board of directors at Danger Inc., the creator of Hip Top (aka SideKick from T-Mobile).

Personal life and new hobbies

In 1981, Wozniak had an accident on his BeechcraftBonanza plane, taking off from the territory of the aircraft fleet in Santa Cruz. The result was a complex form of amnesia. Short-term memory suffered greatly, so Wozniak did not remember about the crash itself, nor about the time spent in the hospital. He did not even remember that he became a member of the Masonic Order in California after his wife. Stephen tried to restore the memory bit by bit. After his bride Candy Clark told him about the accident and that they were flying to San Diego, for rings ordered for the wedding, the memory returned to Woz.

Another way to heal Wozniak, strangely enough, calls the game Apple II. After the disaster, Stephen decided not to return to Apple. He married his "Superwoman" (as he called Candy) and decided to finish his studies at the University of California.

His diploma was issued in the name of Rocky Clark - Wozniak took such a pseudonym for the duration of his training, combining the name of his beloved dog Rocky and his wife's maiden name.

In 1987, Stephen and Candy, raising three children, divorced. And in the 90th year, Wozniak married the former cheerleader team leader Susan Mulkern. In 2000, the couple broke up.

And Steve Wozniak loves good TV shows to such an extent that he even played himself in the second episode of the fourth season of the television series The Big Bang Theory.



In 2007, he published an autobiography called iWoz.

He always tries to cultivate, invent new things and do unexpected things. For example, in 2009, the inventor entered the floor of the program “Dancing with the Stars”. Although the final project could not reach.



Currently Wozniak lives in Los Gatos (California, USA) with his wife Janet Hill (Janet Hill).

Los Gatos is a small town in Santa Clara, California, USA. The population of the city was about 30 thousand people in 2010. The city is located near the Silicon Valley. The cost of real estate in the city ranges from $ 1 million in downtown to $ 15-30 million in the center.



In March 2013, the house in Los Gatos, formerly owned by Apple founder Steve Wozniak, was again put up for sale, reports SFGate. The house has six bedrooms and six bathrooms, the building was built specifically for Wozniak on the author's project in 1986. The area of ​​the house is 7.5 thousand square feet, and the plot is 1.19 acres.

Awards

To date, Wozniak has received many awards and degrees for his contribution to the development of the US computer industry.

In 1985, Wozniak received a national technology medal from the hands of President Reagan.
In the 97th he became a member of the Computer History Museum and sponsored the Children's Discovery Museum. The street leading to the Museum now bears his name - Woz Way.

In 2000 he was included in the National Inventive Hall of Fame.

For his contribution to the technology, Wozniak was awarded a number of honorary degrees of the Doctor of Technical Sciences:

• University of Colorado at Boulder: 1989

• University of North Carolina: 2004

• Kettering University in Flint: 2005

• New Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale: 2005

• Higher Polytechnic School of Litoral in Guayaquil, Ecuador: 2008

• University of Michigan: 2011

• Concordia University in Montreal, Canada: 2011

• University of Santa Clara: 2012

• Camilo Jose Cela University in Villanueva de la Canadá, Spain: 2013

• National University of Engineering in Lima, Peru: 2013