Briefly: Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak talks Apple I, Jobs, and more in rare video from 1984

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
A reportedly rediscovered video from 1984 shows Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak talking about all things Apple, including his time with Steve Jobs, creating the Apple I and Apple II, and more.





AppleInsider was made aware of the video series by uploader Vince Patton, who said the footage comes from a VHS recording of a talk Wozniak gave on Oct. 4, 1984, to the Denver Apple Pi computer club. While the quality is not of the highest caliber, it is surprisingly watchable given its age.

In the videos, Woz discusses everything from being a college prankster to working on some of the most important products in Apple history.

Also part of the collection is a short speech from Randy Wigginton, Apple employee No. 6 and creator of a number of Mac applications including MacWrite.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member


    Woz has my respect and I honestly believe he deserves our utmost respect. :)

  • Reply 2 of 19


    Speaking of Woz and the Apple I:  In the music world, some companies like Moog and Korg are releasing analog synths, retro machines but built with modern digital circuitry supporting the analog stuff so that it stays in tune and doesn't burn up and stuff.  I think it would be cool--now that phones and tablets are becoming more important than "real" computers--it would be cool if Apple put out something like a retro Apple IIe, with the classic 6502 cpu, the classic OS, but with circuitry manages the power well, buffers the slots perfectly and drove an LCD.  It would be a novelty kind of thing, but I bet it could be done very inexpensively and it would be cool to see, again, the "Apple II Forever" slogan.  And it would be cool to see again a real computer without UNIX or a derivative.  

  • Reply 3 of 19
    phone-ui-guyphone-ui-guy Posts: 1,019member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by markLouis View Post


    Speaking of Woz and the Apple I:  In the music world, some companies like Moog and Korg are releasing analog synths, retro machines but built with modern digital circuitry supporting the analog stuff so that it stays in tune and doesn't burn up and stuff.  I think it would be cool--now that phones and tablets are becoming more important than "real" computers--it would be cool if Apple put out something like a retro Apple IIe, with the classic 6502 cpu, the classic OS, but with circuitry manages the power well, buffers the slots perfectly and drove an LCD.  It would be a novelty kind of thing, but I bet it could be done very inexpensively and it would be cool to see, again, the "Apple II Forever" slogan.  And it would be cool to see again a real computer without UNIX or a derivative.  



     


    Some guys were working on an Apple IIgs laptop. It appears to have fizzled out unfortunately. :(


     


    http://www.a2gs.com

  • Reply 4 of 19
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member
    Fascinating. Thanks for posting.
  • Reply 5 of 19
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    The money comment comes at the very beginning. Steve/Steve realized that a preassembled computer, rather than a kit, was the way to get into the home. In my heart of hearts I firmly believe that Steve Jobs was behind this. Wozniak was a charter member of the Heathkit cult and this thought would have never occurred to him.

    The disconnect between Jobs and Wozniak continues today with the so-called war between Open and Closed systems. It may also explain why iOS users apparently actually use their devices more than Android users, as web use surveys continue to indicate. The nerds may come up with the technology but they have no clue how to satisfy the needs of normal users, and many of them look down their noses at the unwashed masses. You see this attitude constantly on sites like C|net, which is populated by techie wannabes and posers.
  • Reply 6 of 19
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member


    I like how he said that without Jobs his computer would have consisted of naked boards with wires running around the house attached with alligator clips to a power supply and phone lines.


     


    It explains his affection for Android, a rough, partly finished mess.

  • Reply 7 of 19
    The ability and mentality to "productize" what is built is key, so I'm in agreement with lkrupp. There might be something to the Open and Closed systems side of the argument in some cases but it's the mentality of those who see Open as available for hacking.

    If Open is open to encourage customization, then that is where the problems lie; Closed can be open for customization also. The Windows OS is a closed system allowing for customization which makes it both flexible and balkanized and hard to support and hard to improve. All versions of Windows still support all previous versions of Windows and even DOS. Imagine having to build cars that you could steer using reins.

    The lack of mentality to productize systems I think was the real downfall of Xerox PARC, for example; Smalltalk (Squeak) has that same flavor -- it's constantly in flux -- a research project that never ends. Productizing before it is ready is a problem for the likes of Javascript -- really a terrible language with awful fundamental flaws that is unfortunately ubiquitous.
  • Reply 8 of 19
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post

    Woz has my respect and I honestly believe he deserves our utmost respect. :)


     


    On things that existed before 1986, I agree completely.

  • Reply 9 of 19
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    I think Woz' brilliance and honesty comes across in this video. I think he was a quite different person in those early days than he is today (but so am I).

    Seeing just these few minutes of video is far more satisfying than I suspect any of the upcoming Apple/Jobs bio movies are going to be.
  • Reply 10 of 19
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    I've said it many times that Woz wasn't the type to see how a idea could be product or be marketed to the masses. Right from his own mouth he says it. I will need to save that video for future reference.
  • Reply 11 of 19
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    hill60 wrote: »
    I like how he said that without Jobs his computer would have consisted of naked boards with wires running around the house attached with alligator clips to a power supply and phone lines.

    It explains his affection for Android, a rough, partly finished mess.

    I've tried to argue that point in the past when Woz is brought up to prove that Apple sucks and Android rules. If it wasn't clear before it should be clear from this video that Woz is in no way aligned with modern Apple and that really anything post-1984 was just along for the ride. He likes to tinker. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that but that's not the kind of products Apple has made for decades.
  • Reply 12 of 19
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member


    Good vids. I like to be taken back to the origin of personal computers.

  • Reply 13 of 19
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member


    Hey Woz?


     


    The eighties are calling and they want their 15 minutes back.

  • Reply 14 of 19
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    If it was clear before it should be clear from this video that Woz is in no way aligned with modern Apple and that really anything post-1984 was just along for the ride. He likes to tinker. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that but that's not the kind of products Apple has made for decades.


     


    Was Woz even involved in the Lisa and MacIntosh projects all that much?  From Isaacson's book, it seems like he was more involved with the Apple II and III series of products during that time.  They also mention how he was adamant about maintaining the expandability of a computer (via add-on cards and similar), which was the antithesis of the Mac design.


     


    So yeah, the whole Android vs Apple thing is just a rehash of previous generations of engineers vs others debate.  Some people want technology which allows them to tinker (their day is focused around technology), some people just want to use it to help them do whatever else they're interested in (music, art, journalism, etc).  The sooner people start to expand their worldview and see this, the sooner we can stop wasting time debating which technology is "best".

  • Reply 15 of 19
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by jfc1138 View Post

    Hey Woz?


     


    The eighties are calling and they want their 15 minutes back.



     


    The video is from 1984. I'm pretty sure you didn't read the article or even watch it.

  • Reply 16 of 19
    scotyscoty Posts: 8member
    If you continue beyond the Woz video there's a great 20 minute video on Steve Jobs And from what I gather it was shortly after Apple purchased NEXT and brought jobs in as a board member or consultant
  • Reply 17 of 19
    bwikbwik Posts: 565member
    Woz was a coke user back then -- how could he not be? He was into rock and had millions of dollars. And it was the late 70s / early 80s.
  • Reply 18 of 19
    ecsecs Posts: 307member


    This video is a good example of why I dislike the current Apple. Mainly because I use and enjoy computers -computers that can be programmed by the end user-. Once Apple considers these kind of computers a non-vital market, my interest on Apple is gone.


     


    If Apple designs a new hamburger with a new flavor, they would probably make a great income. But I didn't choose Apple for their income. I choose them for making the products I need. I don't care if they become rich selling burgers. I don't want a burger, I want programmable computers.

  • Reply 19 of 19
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by ecs View Post

    This video is a good example of why I dislike the current Apple. Mainly because I use and enjoy computers -computers that can be programmed by the end user-. Once Apple considers these kind of computers a non-vital market, my interest on Apple is gone.


     


    Nice FUD. Maybe take five seconds and look at Xcode.





    If Apple designs a new hamburger with a new flavor, they would probably make a great income. But I didn't choose Apple for their income. I choose them for making the products I need. I don't care if they become rich selling burgers. I don't want a burger, I want programmable computers.



     


    Nice ludicrously stupid, made-up analogy referencing nothing.

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