"iWoz"

Author	:	Steve Wozniak with Gina Smith
Publisher	:	W.W.Norton
Price	:	RM 73 (Softcover)
Rating	:

Steve Wozniak has always been known as the quiet, modest one in comparison to Steve Jobs' aggressive and arrogant persona. So I was a bit surprised when I saw the full title of this book:

iWoz
How I invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple, and had fun doing it
Computer geek to cult icon

Not a very humble title. And sure enough, throughout the book Woz keeps blowing his own trumpet:

"...computer logic was something I eventually became better at than probably any other human alive."

"I was like a hero, and I won all kinds of awards..."

"Every computer before the Apple I had that front panel of switches and lights. Every computer since has had a keyboard and a screen. That's how huge my idea turned out."

Maybe that's how the man talks and maybe he's just being honest and doesn't have any intentions to boast but reading it on paper does make him sound like a bragger.

Straight off the bat let me say that for those hoping for detailed inside stories on the history of Apple from cover to cover, this isn't the book for you. You'd be better off reading "Apple Confidential 2.0" or "Revolution in the Valley". "iWoz" is Steve Wozniak's life journey and he covers everything from his childhood right through his elementary school teaching days. Apple does feature but only during the early days of the company, up to the Apple II.

So what do we discover about Woz in his book? Well, as a child he was a 'genius', having an ever-inquisitive mind and inventing electronic gadgets at a very early age. His father, an engineer, had a huge influence on him.

He was the quiet, shy student during his school years and this, strangely enough, resulted in him playing pranks on others. It's obvious that Woz loves his pranks because he goes on and on in great detail describing some of them.

He talks about meeting Steve Jobs and starting Apple. The one thing that I did notice is that Woz always seems nice when talking about Jobs, even when Jobs lied to him about the amount of money he made from the Breakout game they made for Atari.

Even though he does mention his wives, Woz doesn't go into too much detail regarding his courting days or married life, though he does dote on his children.

He talks about his failed Woodstock-style music festival; leaving Apple (even though still remaining as an employee); setting up his remote-control company; and his philanthropic activities.

For me "iWoz" is a good read but not a great one. We do learn some new things about the man but I can't help feeling that he tends to ramble on on unnecessary things which leaves me yearning for more important information about the man's past. And Woz also sometimes tend to repeat himself which can be a little irritating. Some chapters can also get a little technical as he delves into the details of his ideas or works.