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Title: iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It
ISBN: 0393330435
Author:
Steve Wozniak
Publicate Date: 2007-10-22
Publish: 2007-10-22
List Price: $14.95
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $2.16
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $1.95
Amazon Merchant Price: $2.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Worth reading
I enjoyed reading this book but like others, I found it annoying at times. It is an autobiography. Most of the book is about boring details of Steve Wozniak's life. His account of how Apple Computer started and how the Apple I and II where created is very interesting, unfortunately it is a very small part of the book. It was very annoying reading his constant bragging about how humble he is.
The book gave me a better understanding of early PC history and the history of Apple. I also wanted to learn more about a guy I consider a hero. I did learn more about Woz but I must say that based on what I learned from this book I respect him a lot less than before.
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2: Great guy, great book...
I'm a mac user, and I always wanted to know how Woz lived all Apple's building process.
It's a great biography and really enjoyable to read. All is written in a very friendly way.
I really recommend it. It's a piece of computer history, I think, all geeks should know.
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3: Great Autobiography for Tech Afficionados
This was an outstanding autobiography that gave me real insight into Steve Wozniak's life journey and thought process. Most interesting and prevelant was the invention of the first PC, but the book goes beyond that.
As a tech person myself, I really liked how he would stop and describe how things worked as it related to how it shaped his life. Some of it was interesting and easy to understand (e.g., why twisted pair wire is twisted) while others were interesting but mostly went over my head (e.g., the intricacies of a complex circuit board). But I even enjoyed the stuff that went over my head.
Some of the other reviews trashed this book because they thought he was too full of himself or they thought the book was written "at a 6th grade level". #1 - it's an autobiography - what do you want him to talk about? #2 - he invented the first personal computer - if anything I think he downplays his role too much (it's not like the PC has any impact on modern life, right?). #3 - the book's style is just about perfect if you ask me. If you want an autobiography that reads like a high-brow novel, then read one about a novelist. For me, this was perfectly what an autobiography should be: a behind-the-eyes look at someone truly interesting and impactful on everyone's lives, written in his own words.
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4: Flawed icon
Steve Wozniak spends a lot of this book detailing so many examples of his relentlessly positive attitude, his relentlessly great time growing up, and his relentless enthusiasm for all thing electronic. He does a good job in some early sections explaining movements of electrons along currents at their both basic level, which is appreciated by non-engineers. I was put off by his side story of opening/running the Mayfair theater in a "low-income" area of Silicon Valley and having to paint the bathroom black to stop the graffetii. I grew up in what he probably thinks are "low-income" areas of Silicon Valley, i e your house is under $2 million bucks, and I was pretty offended. Wow! We weren't super-rich and I never graffettied anything! This typifies the snotty elitist attitude of people in that area and reminds me why I high-tailed it for Sin City. Too bad that one of the men who built and contributed so much has this attitude as well. Stop playing to both sides of the fence, Woz. Your products are great, but your book needs some de-bugging!
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5: The Woz Man Cometh!
iWoz is an interesting book about the man who almost single-handedly started a revolution. I loved reading about how Woz designed the Apple I and Apple II computers. He's a guy that's on a whole different level than most engineers. I'd love to meet him someday. If you are interested in how personal computers came to be, I highly recommend you read this book along with "Fire in the Valley" and "Hackers". Also, buy the DVD "Pirates of Silicon Valley". Thanks Woz for bringing computers to the masses!
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