Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

Wozniak, Steven 519Gillies, James, and Robert Cailliau. How the Web Was Born: TheStory of the World Wide Web. New York: Oxford UniversityPress, 2000.Internet Society. Available online. URL: http://www.isoc.org.Accessed August 23, 2007.Internet World Stats. Available online. URL: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. Accessed August 23, 2007.Wozniak, Steven(1950– )AmericanComputer Inventor and EngineerSteve Wozniak, often known as “Woz,” cofounded Applecomputer and designed the Apple II, one of the first popularpersonal computers.Born on August 11, 1950, in San Jose, California, Wozniakgrew up to be a classic “electronics whiz.” He built aworking electronic calculator when he was 13, winning thelocal science fair. After graduating from Homestead HighSchool, Wozniak tried community college but quit to workwith a local computer company. Although he then enrolledin the University of California, Berkeley, to study electronicengineering and computer science, he dropped out in 1971to go to work again, this time as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard, at that time one of the most successful companiesin the young Silicon Valley.By the mid-1970s, Wozniak was in the midst of a technicalrevolution in which hobbyists explored the possibilitiesof the newly available microprocessor or “computeron a chip.” A regular attendee at meetings of the HomebrewComputer Club, Wozniak and other enthusiasts wereexcited when the MITS Altair, the first complete microcomputerkit, came on the market in 1975. The Altair, however,had a tiny amount of memory, had to be programmed bytoggling switches to input hexadecimal codes (rather likethe ENIAC), and had very primitive input/output capabilities.Wozniak decided to build a computer that would bemuch easier to use—and more useful.Wozniak’s prototype machine, the Apple I, had a keyboardand could be connected to a TV screen to provide avideo display. He demonstrated it at the Homebrew ComputerClub and among the interested spectators was hisfriend Steve Jobs. Jobs had a more entrepreneurial interestthan Wozniak, and spurred him to set up a business tomanufacture and sell the machines. Together they foundedApple Computer in June 1976. Their “factory” was Jobs’sparents’ garage, and the first machines were assembled byhand.Wozniak designed most of the key parts of the Apple,including its video display and later, its floppy disk interface,which is considered a model of elegant engineering tothis day. He also created the built-in operating system andBASIC interpreter, which were stored in read-only memory(ROM) chips so the computer could function as soon as itwas turned on.In 1981, just as the Apple II was reaching the peak ofits success, Wozniak was almost killed in a plane crash. Hetook a sabbatical from Apple to recover, get married, andreturn to UC Berkeley (under an assumed name!) to finishhis B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science.Wozniak’s life changes affected him in other ways. AsApple grew and became embroiled in the problems of largecompanies, “Woz” sold large amounts of his Apple stock andgave the money to Apple employees that he thought had notbeen properly rewarded for their work. Later in the 1980s,he produced two rock festivals that lost $25 million, whichhe paid out of his own money. He was quoted as saying, “I’drather be liked than rich.” He left Apple for good in 1985and founded Cloud Nine, an unsuccessful company thatdesigned remote control and “smart appliance” hardware.During the 1990s, Wozniak organized a number ofcharitable and educational programs, including cooperativeactivities with people in the former Soviet Union. He particularlyenjoyed classroom teaching, bringing the excitementof technology to young people. In 1985, Wozniak receivedthe National Medal of Technology.Further ReadingCringely, Robert X. Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon ValleyMake Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and StillCan’t Get a Date. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1992.Freiberger, Paul, and Michael Swaine. Fire in the Valley: the Makingof the Personal Computer. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill,1999.Kendall, Martha E. Steve Wozniak, Inventor of the Apple Computer.2nd rev. ed. Los Gatos, Calif.: Highland Publishing, 2001.Woz.org [Steve Wozniak’s Home Page]. Available online. URL:www.woz.org. Accessed August 27, 2007.Wozniak, Steve, and Gina Smith. iWoz: From Computer Geek toCult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-FoundedApple, and Had Fun Doing It. New York: W. W. Norton, 2006.