In a brief interview with Bloomberg Businessweek as part of highlighting Apple's #10 ranking on the magazine's list of "The 85 Most Disruptive Ideas in Our History", Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak discusses a handful of topics related to the company, mostly relating to Apple's early days. Among the topics Wozniak delved into was Steve Jobs' mindset in those early years of the company.

He had always spoken about wanting to be a person that moves the world forward, but he couldn’t really create things and design them like I could. Steve wanted a company real badly. His thinking was not necessarily about what computers would do for the average Joe in the average home. Steve found the words that explained what these computers would do for people and how important it was a little later in life.

Wozniak went on to mention his refrain from conflict, and that Jobs "was going to make sure that his position was strong and forceful and heard by others." He continued, "Thankfully he had the best brain. He usually had a little, tiny suggestion, but almost always he was right."

wozniak

(Photo by Jonathan Zufi)

Discussing the onset of the "computer revolution", Wozniak said he "knew that the computer was so far ahead of anything the rest of the world had seen. We knew we had a revolution. Everyone who joined Apple, this was the greatest thing in their life." Wozniak said that compared to every computer that came before it, the Apple I (which now sells for over half a million dollars at auction on occasion) was the point where he saw the future of widespread, affordable computing devices.

When asked where most of the work was being done in those early years, Wozniak mentions his cubicle at Hewlett-Packard in Cupertino, not the famous location of Steve Jobs' family home that is now a historical landmark.

The garage is a bit of a myth. We did no designs there, no breadboarding, no prototyping, no planning of products. We did no manufacturing there. The garage didn’t serve much purpose, except it was something for us to feel was our home. We had no money. You have to work out of your home when you have no money.

Wozniak has been in the news a fair amount in recent months, with rumors swirling about who will play him in the Aaron Sorkin-penned Steve Jobs film that Wozniak is consulting on, and the recent announcement of The Woz, a reality show about the future of technology Wozniak is set to host.

Top Rated Comments

bbeagle Avatar
138 months ago
I wonder why Woz is not tired of talking about Steve J. Sure they were friends and such but at some point you just need to put this to rest and stop even if the media still asking for it.

I have many fond memories in my life that I repeat over and over to friends when they ask. Telling these stories make me happy.

I assume the same with Woz and his stories and memories. Why would he try to suppress happiness if someone is interested?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
138 months ago
I have no idea where the "hate" is coming from. Especially when some people on this forum have no problem when Walter Isaacson comments to the press about Steve or Apple history/future.

Woz has pretty much every entitlement to speak his mind. He's earned it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdelvecchio Avatar
138 months ago
I wonder why Woz is not tired of talking about Steve J. Sure they were friends and such but at some point you just need to put this to rest and stop even if the media still asking for it.

OMG. Woz let it go. Just ride off into the sunset on your Segway.

whaaa...? this guy was the other major half of the computer revolution. he was there, at ground zero. he built with his own brains and hands the hardware that sparked everything and set this course of history into motion. why should he not talk about it? and why on earth wouldnt you want to hear about it?

go back to your toys, son.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tinmania Avatar
138 months ago
You last affected Apple as a company in like 1980, it's time to move on. Exit interview much?
He didn't just "affect" Apple. Without him there would be no Apple.

He designed, and often built, the Apple 1. More importantly he designed the Apple 2. Without that Apple would have been another footnote in a website dedicated to '70s-era microcomputers.



Mike
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rGiskard Avatar
138 months ago
He didn't just "affect" Apple. Without him there would be no Apple.

He designed, and often built, the Apple 1. More importantly he designed the Apple 2. Without that Apple would have been another footnote in a website dedicated to '70s-era microcomputers.



Mike
Exactly! Woz can be in the news all he wants. My first computer was an Apple ][e and I wrote my first programs on it and wrote every high school paper on it. I still remember writing the papers in Appleworks and then opening them in another program to spell check, lol.

So yeah, Woz did more for computing in founding Apple than Ive has ever done with all his inane anorexic designs. He also gets credit for recognizing Jobs's genius and engaging in a symbiotic relationship with him. Many engineers might not have wanted to share credit with Jobs and had that been the case with Woz the personal computer might have taken a rather different historical path.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timborama Avatar
138 months ago
OMG. Woz let it go. Just ride off into the sunset on your Segway.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
ios 26 control center b2

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2

Monday June 23, 2025 2:57 pm PDT by
Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to iOS 26, which we've rounded up below. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Control Center The background behind the...
ios 26 control center b2

iOS 26 Beta 2 Fixes Control Center Design

Monday June 23, 2025 10:58 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26 that Apple provided to developers today, Apple addressed one of the major complaints that people have had with Liquid Glass. iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on right The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

watchOS 26 Adding a Smaller Yet Useful New Watch Face Setting

Monday June 23, 2025 9:39 am PDT by
watchOS 26 is adding a new "Show Data When Locked" setting to the Apple Watch. MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered the new setting within the code for the first watchOS 26 beta, and a Reddit user has seemingly found it in action, but we have yet to figure out where it is exactly. Leave a comment if you know. The new privacy setting allows you to toggle on or off the ability to...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Tuesday June 24, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...