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    iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the Way
    iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the Way
    iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the Way
    Audiobook9 hours

    iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the Way

    Written by Gina Smith and Steve Wozniak

    Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJan 1, 2007
    ISBN9781400173280
    iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the Way

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    Reviews for iWoz

    3.5/5

    331 ratings29 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A funny, honest and entertaining history of the Woz and his involvement with Apple as well. Good read and quite inspiring!
    • 3/5
      It was interesting learning the history of Apple and other projects Woz was part of. However, I had trouble with the style of his writing. It read more like he was an enthusiastic teenager boasting to friends. Some of the writing seemed repetitive and almost child-like. This made it difficult for me to take seriously enough to really enjoy. Still, it was worth getting his perspective on Apple and the growth of computer technology.
    • 4/5
      A very interesting first person account from the person who designed and built the first two Apple Computers, and was one of the most important people in kick-starting the personal computer revolution.

      Woz himself is a plausiblly reliable, but obviously very selective narrator (there was very little substantive about his marriages and divorces, for example). He mostly wants to talk about his engineering, which, happily, was what I was most interested in.

      There is no false-modesty about Woz - he is proud of and outspoken about his achievements, going all the way back to early childhood. But while he is obviously pleased about them, he doesn't actually seem boastful. It's more matter-of-fact than that. Indeed, in some of his anecdotes there seems to be a certain lack of emotional intelligence, which could all be part of the same thing.

      Similarly, when he talks about what is important to him in life - happiness, having fun, doing what you love - I totally believe him. While nowhere near as famous, nor as rich, and perhaps not as accomplished as Steve Jobs, he is clearly the happier of the two. (In fact, his energy, curiosity and apparent ease with complex ideas reminded me most of Richard Feynman - or the Feynman that comes out through his own anecdotes at least).

      Unfortunately, some of the technical explanations of Woz's innovations weren't as clear as they should have been - I guess that's for reasons of space, but I would have preferred it if a little more had been devoted to cleaner, clearer explanations for the layman (and I'm an experienced software engineer - I don't have much hardware experience, but still I would have thought I should have been able to grasp the basics of what was done, and often I couldn't).

      You wouldn't read this for the writing style - it's quite hokey at times - but for the insight into a transformative period of technology, by one of the people at the very forefront. It's very engaging, and Woz is very impressive, and likeable. I wish the technical explanations were a little clearer and more detailed, but overall I enjoyed this a whole lot.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed reading Steve's story of his life, and the development of technology, especially the early Apple products. Steve has a very casual story telling method that includes some repetition. However, I generally enjoyed his voice and message.
    • 5/5
      In iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-founded Apple, and had Fun Doing It, Steve Wozniak recounts his life from his boyhood experiments engineering basic electronics with transistors through the early 2000s and seeing the changes in Apple with the iMac and iPod. He describes his ethical background and desire to develop products that improve the lives of ordinary people as well as the simple joy of solving the engineering problems necessary to accomplish that desire. Woz details the first motherboards he constructed, his experiments with phone phreaking and what it taught him about understanding systems, his work with Hewlett-Packard, and more, offering a candidness that’s refreshing for the reader. He also challenges some of the narratives that have built up around his early years with Apple, such as he and Steve Jobs building the Apple I in their garage (they only did the final assembly in the garage), or his leaving the company because he was dissatisfied (he had other ambitions, though he recognized that some employees were dissatisfied). Though Woz wrote this in 2006, it’s a good history of the early days of Silicon Valley from someone who was there and is likely to inspire readers to go out and find a way to make a difference, whether or not they choose engineering. He and co-author Gina Smith’s writing is very readable and conversational, which helps when he describes technical processes. Overall, an enjoyable and inspiring memoir.
    • 5/5
      When you finish this book, you feel Woz has been your friend for years. This is the "other side of the story" of Apple Computer told with no spin and no blame. The writing is easy reading page turner.
    • 3/5
      This turned out to be a fun book to read. Steve Wozniak is a pretty immature and unsophisticated writer, but what got through was his enthusiasm.

      He covers growing up with his father encouraging his own curiosity and interest in engineering and electronics, explaining electronics and helping him build things like crystal radios and other circuits.

      Then gets into his college life, his blue box years hacking the phone system (and sounds like it took him a long time to realize it was stealing) and then a lot of detail about how he designed the Apple I and Apple II computers by himself, with Steve Jobs helping start the company and doing the dealing to get parts and business, but not helping with technical design in any way.

      I really didn't see the humor in some of the pranks and jokes he described, usually the ones where he wrote that he was dismayed that no one got them. Most of them, I just didn't see what was funny about them.

      Throughout the whole book he brags about his skill, although in this case he's probably earned it, he really does have the skill.

      And he often gets very repetitive, saying the same sentences over and over, often multiple times in a single paragraph. Paragraphs themselves often change direction and are filled with non sequiturs.

      Overall, it was fun reading, not because it was well written, but because his enthusiasm is catching, and I was already a fan of the computers he designed, with my first personal computer having been an Apple //e, of which I have very fond memories.
    • 3/5
      It tells how #SteveWozniak wrote #BASIC for the Original #Apple from scratch ! nuff said.
    • 5/5
      Enjoyable read...particularly the engineering parts where he talked about creating his computer and figuring things out way ahead of the curve. i always appreciate economy of design and coding and it sure seems that Woz did too. And unlike Steve Jobs who had less than no redeeming qualities at all, Steve Wozniak is an actual human being who cares and it comes through in his narrative...didn't blame Jobs for his myriad flaws, though he certainly coukd have.

      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.
    • 2/5
      Well, as far as a biography goes, there isn’t all that much and what there is, is only adding to the impression of a somewhat disjointed personality.

      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 awful. Repetition ad nauseam, boasting, etc. We don't really get to know the man behind all those achievements, that is, the universal remote control, Apple I, Apple II, Apple III (Ahem, sorry, my mistake, this one was "invented" by a committe lead by Steve Jobs, ah ah).

      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.
    • 4/5
      This is my first review on Goodreads. I was very lucky to win a copy of “iWoz” as part of the First Reads giveaways. I may not have read this otherwise, but I really enjoyed it and am glad I won! Perhaps my biggest impression, what I remember most, is that I learned a lot about electrical engineering and how computers are put together and function. Wozniak presents a very logical layout of the development of electronics, and how he met technological needs – often in an overnight marathon (though after writing out or printing on paper beforehand, until it was all memorized). He had the vision to anticipate what people would want to use in the future. His sense of humor is always present, though some of his pranks did not seem to be such good ideas. The dial-a-joke and other phone-related hacks were amusing, though these are probably not going to be around much longer. He is an example of what one might do when they have more money than they know what to do with, like creating a music festival from scratch, but also giving to other philanthropic causes.
      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.
    • 4/5
      I agree with some other reviewers that the writing style/level is overly simplistic, even child-like, and Woz's descriptions of many of his past projects and accomplishments come off sounding... not arrogant, but like child-like bragging. I don't know if that's because he's truly that innocently child-like, or he just doesn't know how to express himself otherwise, and I did find it somewhat frustrating for much of the book. But the stories of his background managed to interest me enough to continue and eventually finish the book, and I do appreciate the experience.

      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.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! I loved Woz! He seems like a really cool guy. So I was shocked -- shocked -- at the many instances of overt hostility toward this book by so many reviewers. Man, they hate it! They think the writing is terrible, even though it has a professional co-author. They think he's arrogant and conceited. They think he over-inflates his worth. I couldn't disagree more. I enjoyed the writing. I thought it was intentionally conversational and easy to read. What do people want -- a damn textbook??? It makes tech easy for anyone to understand and I think that's good. As to his arrogance, when you've done the things he has done -- and very few people have -- you have a right to be arrogant, in my opinion. He was the youngest HAM operator is the world, quite possibly. He very likely invented the personal computer and changed everyone's lives forever. He built, solely, one of the greatest computers ever -- the Apple II. He invented the universal remote. And he's not entitled to be proud of his achievements? Give me a break! If I had done this, I'd sure to tooting my own horn, that's for certain. And as for the few dissenters claiming he didn't invent the personal computer, it's plausible there were earlier personal computers, such as the Altair, but hobbyists had to put them together themselves, they didn't have keyboards or screens -- just lights and buttons. He really did create the personal computer as we know it. Of course, he didn't get where he got without the help of Steve Jobs, but if anyone was ever an egomaniac, it was Jobs, not Woz. Jobs was the biggest narcissist ever seen, I believe. I don't know how Woz could have worked with him for so long. I enjoyed reading about his upbringing, about his early phone phreaking, about constructing and selling blue boxes, about his educational efforts, about his reluctance to start a new company, about his desire to remain a geek forever and never go into management, his thoughts about other people both in and out of the Apple world. I loved this book! I again just don't understand why so many people hate it. It makes no sense to me. This is what I want out of an autobiography -- a reader-friendly, true life account of an interesting person's life and exploits. Excellent. Strongly recommended.
    • 3/5
      This book is Steve Wozniak’s (Woz’s) autobiography. It stands in sharp contrast to Steve Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson, just as Woz and Jobs are very contrasting individuals. This book is not a great read (at least in part because Woz is not a great writer), but it is an interesting companion to Isaacson’s work. Woz is an unapologetic engineer and this book (from 2006) is his attempt to set the record straight. I came away amazed that he and Jobs were ever able to be friends. Woz comes across a brilliant and compassionate, but somewhat clueless. My guess is that I would much rather have spent time with Woz than Jobs, despite his penchant for sometimes cruel practical jokes. However, without Jobs, I don’t think what Woz would have amounted to much. I also think Woz probably would have been happier. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing another side of the Apple/Jobs story.
    • 1/5
      Unreadable.
    • 4/5
      A good read, an interesting life. A nuts and bolts account of the early era of the personal computer 'revolution'. The life of Woz, the guy who created Apple computers, and many other devices and ideas we associate with technology.

      What I noted was his near aversion to material success, desiring to be 'just' an engineer. Also his humanity, and generosity.
    • 4/5
      A must read for anyone that grew up with an Apple ][ on their desk or in their school. Wozniak comes across quite well and he shows to be the geek's geek, sticking to his values and doing something sometimes just for the sake of doing it. Many of the younger crowd might be able to understand how the personal computer industry wasn't seen as the path to being rich back in the 70s and 80s by reading this take on how Woz's innovations came to be.
    • 4/5
      Steve Wozniak is without question one of the greatest innovators of our day. iWoz provides a good look into his personal life including how he was raised and how his passion led to the development of the personal computer.

      The book is very interesting. The only disappointment I had was that not a lot of time was spent talking about the early days of Apple. It was there, to be sure, but I was hoping to get into more depth of what it was really like to work there when he worked there. Heck, the subject of the GUI interface at Xerox only took maybe two pages and it wasn't until the end of the book. Other books have gone into more depth here, I realize. I was just hoping to get it "straight from the horse's mouth", I suppose.
    • 4/5
      Steve Wozniak is well-known to tech savvy people as one of the two cofounders of Apple Computer, and the driving force behind the development of the original Apple I and Apple II personal computers. More recently, he has achieved a slighly more kitschy kind of fame as Kathy Griffin's boyfriend on Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List and a short-lived contestant on Dancing with the Stars, in which his slightly off-kilter personality came to the fore. In IWoz it becomes apparent that while Wozniak is a very quirky individual, he is probably quirky in a way that we should all be thankful for, because without his ability to work out computer achitecture on sheets of paper, program in binary in his head, and has an odd fondness for repeating numbers, then it is quite possible that the personal computer would not have been developed when it was, if ever.

      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]
    • 3/5
      Woz is the man and while I really enjoyed this book and his insights in some ways, two things really got to me: the writing style (it came off very... elementary... in many places) and the audiobook narration. Holy crap, was it annoying. I would much rather have heard it read by Woz himself.
    • 3/5
      The writing in this book is very disappointing and Steve Wozniak demonstrates rather considerable ego throughout; nevertheless it is a fascinating first-person account of true genius at the center of the technological revolution. Reading of his remarkable thinking, approaches and accomplishments made it worth wading through.
    • 4/5
      Explanation about how he had an extraordinary aptitude from childhood with engineering and how that led to the creation the Apple computers. More technical than I thought it would be, but that was enjoyable. A little light on the dirt... doesn't go into the behind the scenes stuff at Apple. Pretends "ignorance" about how decisions were made at Apple and how Steve Jobs did his part. I don't know how believeable that is since Wozniak is a co-founder.
    • 3/5
      Interesting read historically, and great insight into a genius. However, the book is written in a style that is hard to follow, almost as if it were a transcript from Woz telling stories of those years. If you are interested in history of personal computers, worth reading.
    • 1/5
      I bought iWoz by Gina Smith but put it aside after the first 2 chapters. It is the biography of Steve Wozniak, one of the founders of Apple and has got to be one of the most irritating reads ever!! I wish I could give it 1/2 star but 1 star is the least...Drats!

      The story of Apple's founding and growth is the stuff of legend but only if you can get past Steve's bragging and constant 'look at how amazing I am' pronouncements. It wore thin after a while. I kept putting it down after a couple of pages; had to drink some water to stop the gagging reflex! I just hope Steve Jobs gets around to writing one himself or at least authorises someone to write for him some day. The Apple story is screaming to be told.
    • 3/5
      It was good to get a bit of an insight into Woz and how he got to where he is today. An easy read that was written in a light cheery manner. I enjoyed it.
    • 2/5
      Interesting stories, though a bit self important and with horrendously choppy writing.
    • 4/5
      Refreshing outlook on life, good to read to encourage yourself
    • 5/5
      Yesterday, I took a long look at the new book by Steve Wozniak, iWoz. Personally, I'm intrigued by the science-based creativity that led to early Apple products, and also the psychologically-savvy thinking that went into making computers user-friendly.

      The book will be interesting to a specialized audience. You need to be interested in the early history of personal computers (e.g., the legendary Homebrew Computer Club). You need to get a kick out of the amusing but sometimes unflattering lore that defined Apple's history and culture. You need to want to know about Wozniak's remarkably innovative engineering as well as Apple's entrepreneurship. You have to dig the views and personality of a successful but unusual and reclusive countercultural person. It probably helps if you resonate with Wozniak's personal style, and dream about making innovative contributions somewhere, somehow.

      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...
    • 2/5
      Steve should fire his ghost writer. The book is very conversational, almost simplistic. It was very interesting to hear Steve describe his influences and motivation that drove him to invent the Apple computer. However, the book broke down completely after that. Of course, so did Steve's life. He reveals very little grasp of life outside of the computer lab, so once he effectively quit inventing, the rest of the book is excuses and corrections for what was printed in the media. It would've been much better as a biography with insider access. Steve insisted on using his voice and ultimately, it is not an interesting one.