In his best-seller book, "iWoz - Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple, and had fun doing it", Steve Wozniak shares his personal account of the story that , he says, " most people got wrong".
The plot begins in his childhood years, when one could already see sparks of a genius. He recounts every sort of cool electronic projects he did while in high-school ; getting into colllege and dropping out of school to go work at HP; and eventually having the idea that started the PC revolution we now live in: "designing a machine affordable enough that everyone could use and that would empower people to do things the never could before".
Rather than a mere chronological compilation of events, the book is full advices, even if oftentimes they are
primarily targeted at geeks who feel somewhat connected with Woz personality, the self-centered genius.
For an instance, he encourages young would-be inventors to pursue their passion alone, working in the moonlight, the same way he did.
Even if that might have worked in the early days of Computer Revolution, I strongly believe that you are
better off if you team up with a someone. My point is: even if you may spend you "creative" time alone, having a partner
to share your "clever" ideas is imperative. Please don't lock yourself waiting until you feel confident to shout out
your revolutionary ideas!
One of the many highs of this book is the conversational style Wozniak uses to incite in the reader passion for innovation and invention.
You will easily have a great time learning about the "Electronic Kids" of Santa Clara Valley (what we now know as Silicon Valley) and how hid dad played a vital role in shaping beliefs and moral values that he carries as his mantra
up to this day.
As he explicitly states, one of the goals in writing this book was to give credit to who deserved it. A common misconception around Apple's early days is that Steve Jobs was involved, to a certain degree, in the design of the first personal computers. Truth is Woz designed
both Apple I and II all alone, as arguably everything he invented in his life. Think you know who truly came with the concept introduced
with the iPod? If you answered Steve Jobs, you got it all wrong! As Wozniak points out, when Jobs returned to Apple during late 90s
the whole design of the iPod and iMac by Jonathan Ive was in late stage. I'm not trying to downplay Steve Jobs' role in Apple's recovery.
His unique way of introducing "insanely" great products and re-evangelizing Apple customers were vital for the company's rebound.
In sum, even if you may oftentimes disagree with Woz's advices or view of the world, you can't help getting captivated by
all the excitement and fun he had while creating those first computers! A must read!
