iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It

Review Every engineer—and certainly every engineering student—should read this book….It is, in a nutshell, the engineer's manifesto. -- _Guy Kawasaki, author of _The Macintosh Way Everyone should enjoy Woz's very personal and engaging story….What a wild ride! -- _Ray Kurzweil, inventor and author of _Singularity Is Near Worth waiting for…adds intriguing new information to the history of the origins of the personal computer revolution. -- _Alan Deutschman, author of _The Second Coming of Steve Jobs Product Description 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. 16 pages of illustrations. History,General,United States,Computers,Biography & Autobiography,Business & Economics,Personal Memoirs,Biography,Industries,Biography & Memoir,Computer engineers,Wozniak; Steve,Business,Science & Technology,Apple Computer; Inc - History,Computer industry - United States - History,Computer engineers - United States,Computer Industry,Inventors - United States,Inventors "In 1975, young engineer 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, a widely affordable machine that anyone could figure out how to use." "Wozniak teamed up with another young friend, Steve Jobs, and Apple Computer was born. The Apple I and Apple II computers were the first to use a modern paradigm - a keyboard to enter text and data and a video screen to view it. Apple and Wozniak, the inventor of the Apple I and II, ignited the computer revolution and have been transforming our world ever since." "Now, thirty years later, in iWoz, the mischievous genius with a low profile tells his story for the first time. Wozniak looks back at more, though, than his brilliant inventions. With his own typical, inimitable humor and style, he relates his countless pranks, his early days with the Electronics Kids and the Homebrew Computer Club, his stint as a concert promoter with the US Festivals, his near-death experience in a flight crash, his philanthropic activities, the decade he spent teaching fifth graders, and what it is like to be the Woz, a humanist inventor who considers engineering an art but never puts it before people and their needs."--BOOK JACKET. Once upon a time, computers looked like big, alien vending machines. They had large screens, cryptic switches, huge boxes, and odd lights. 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. Widely affordable and easily understood, Wozniak's invention has been rapidly transforming our world ever since. His 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.--From publisher description.Describes the creation of the first personal computer, details engineer Steve Wozniak's life before and after Apple, and provides a personal perspective on the invention that helped ignite the computer revolution. " iWoz traces the life and times of a brilliant, gifted... individual whose contributions to the scientific, business and cultural realms are extensive." Bookpage Before slim laptops that fit into briefcases, computers looked like strange, alien vending machines. But in "the most staggering burst of technical invention by a single person in high-tech history" ( BusinessWeek ) Steve Wozniak invented the first true personal computer. Wozniak teamed up with Steve Jobs, and Apple Computer was born, igniting the computer revolution and transforming the world. Here, thirty years later, the mischievous genius with the low profile treats readers to a rollicking, no-holds-barred account of his lifefor once, in the voice of the wizard himself.

“‘The Woz’ built the first [personal computer]—by hand, by himself.”—USA Today

The Washington Post - Rob Pegoraro

At its best, the book shows "Woz" to be a quirky, dedicated innovator who would have been a perfect subject of one of Apple's "Think Different" ads if only he hadn't helped start the company first. iWoz opens with scenes from an idyllic middle-class childhood of reading kids' adventure books, playing sports and fiddling with wires and circuits. Wozniak expresses deep contentment at how he learned the finer points of electronics through his dad's gentle coaching and his own sometimes obsessive tinkering.