I think Woz is starting to lose it

[Rogifan]

So Woz thinks Apple should make phones running Android. On what planet would that be a good idea? I seriously sometimes wonder if this guy is on drugs.

http://www.cmswire.com/cms/mobile-e...droid-phones-warns-of-police-state-024070.php

 

[mobilehaathi]

Which drugs?

 

[Rogifan]

Which drugs?

I don't know but you'd have to be on something to think Apple making phones running Android is a good idea for Apple. I noticed he used the word "we". Not sure why as I'm not aware of him spending any time at Apple or being involved in company decisions.

 

[mobilehaathi]

I don't know but you'd have to be on something to think Apple making phones running Android is a good idea for Apple. I noticed he used the word "we". Not sure why as I'm not aware of him spending any time at Apple or being involved in company decisions.

Well let's speculate! Which drugs do you think are sufficient to cause this (in your opinion) ludicrous behavior?

Ethanol? Nicotine? Cannabinoids? Lysergic acid diethylamide? Amphetamines? Barbiturates? Acetylsalicylic acid?

 

[thewitt]

Woz has admitted several times that he knows nothing about running a business. It seems each time he opens his mouth he confirms that statement. He was a brilliant engineer. Jobs made him filthy rich.

 

[Rogifan]

Woz has admitted several times that he knows nothing about running a business. It seems each time he opens his mouth he confirms that statement. He was a brilliant engineer. Jobs made him filthy rich.

Yep. And saying that Apple should let Chinese hardware companies sell cheap phones running iOS and that Apple should make Android phones confirms that.

 

[Rogifan]

Ok, well every now and then Woz shows he hasn't completely lost it:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/02/woz-interview/

He also endorsed Apple’s decision not to pour new features into the iPhone, arguing that feature creep is not the same as innovation. “If you have something really good, don’t change it; don’t screw it up,” he said. “You pick up a Samsung phone and say smile and it takes a picture, but how much innovation is that? That’s just throwing in a lot of features.”

“People don’t really choose their smartphones based on features,” he added. “I think Apple is superior at being able to say no.”

 

[rdowns]

Woz has admitted several times that he knows nothing about running a business. It seems each time he opens his mouth he confirms that statement. He was a brilliant engineer. Jobs made him filthy rich.

Yep. Now he's a mostly clueless fanboy.

 

[thehustleman]

Woz never had the mindset of a businessman. He's an engineer.

True, but this is actually a great Idea. Make a phone that suits a region, you increase sales. Ore sales more money. Did he say add bloatware? No, he said apple would oversee quality.

Woz was the smart one of the 2 Steve's he didn't want to be relevant that's why he taught for free for all those years. He's a behind the scenes guy

This is true, totally the smart one. All jobs was about was design and simplicity. He wasn't about advancing anything.

I think Jobs was way overrated and not even a decent or nice human being to top it.

Apple rarely introduces new things they introduce better versions of things that exist..iTunes and it iterative following's are what sells product. Neither the iPhone nor the iPad would exist at the popularity levels they do without the iTunes store.

My feelings on Jobs aside, Woz doesn't particularly want to be relevant he's got more than enough money and he's got his electronic toys. He's 63 or 64 years old and secured his place in history. Let the guy be happy and play with his stuff on his terms

And they don't even introduce better versions of everything, just most things, and in some areas they have just fallen apart.



But people say "he's thinking like a consumer" well who would you appeal to if you want their money?

Appeal to a consumer, get their money. It isn't rocket science

 

[roadbloc]

There are ways of giving a non-answer. I wish John Sculley would do the same when he's asked. Or at least not give head scratching answers like this, or like throwing iTunes on Android.

And why should he hold his tongue just because you don't like his opinions?

 

[MacCruiskeen]

He's not a businessman...then it would be nice if he'd be quiet in stead of spouting off all these things Apple needs to do that probably would be a mistake business wise. Like saying Apple should port iTunes to Android because they did it with Windows. Um, the only reason iTunes was ported to Windows was because you needed a computer to sync music to your iPod and the majority of consumers use Windows PCs. At the end of the day it was all about selling more iPods. How does putting iTunes on Android sell more iDevices?

Glad to know that only businessmen get to have opinions on business.

Porting iTunes to Android might not sell a lot of iPhones or iPads but it would sell a lot of content. Which Apple still makes a lot of money on. Also, you don't really "need" to sync your devices with a computer. I have an iPhone and an iPad and they rarely talk to my iMac.

 

[Arran]

Jobs made him filthy rich.

Might be fairer to say they made each other filthy rich.

 

[Rogifan]

True, but this is actually a great Idea. Make a phone that suits a region, you increase sales. Ore sales more money. Did he say add bloatware? No, he said apple would oversee quality.

This is true, totally the smart one. All jobs was about was design and simplicity. He wasn't about advancing anything.

And they don't even introduce better versions of everything, just most things, and in some areas they have just fallen apart.

But people say "he's thinking like a consumer" well who would you appeal to if you want their money?

Appeal to a consumer, get their money. It isn't rocket science

How is Apple making a smartphone utilizing their biggest competitors operating system advancing anything? It's not like there is a dearth of Android phones on the market. And his comment mostly referenced aesthetics. OK, HTC made an aesthetically pleasing Android phone yet that didn't change their position in the Android market one bit. All this would do is reinforce the notion that Apple is a hardware company and completely devalue their software and ecosystem.

 

[Rogifan]

Glad to know that only businessmen get to have opinions on business.

Porting iTunes to Android might not sell a lot of iPhones or iPads but it would sell a lot of content. Which Apple still makes a lot of money on. Also, you don't really "need" to sync your devices with a computer. I have an iPhone and an iPad and they rarely talk to my iMac.

You don't need to today, but that wasn't the case when the iPod first came out. If you didn't own a Mac an iPod was worthless. I'd be curious to know how many Android users would actually use iTunes. Would it be enough to make porting it over worthwhile?

 

[Rogifan]

And why should he hold his tongue just because you don't like his opinions?

I think he should hold his tongue on giving Apple advice in public. Because his advice doesn't seem to be based on what's best for Apple the company. But if he really does believe some of these things are in Apple's best interests, then take it up privately with Cook.

 

[sjinsjca]

Woz isn't quite what he once was, and hasn't been since being nearly killed in an airplane accident, which left him with amnesia for a considerable time. Since having his bell rung he's been flighty and eccentric.

 

[roadbloc]

I think he should hold his tongue on giving Apple advice in public. Because his advice doesn't seem to be based on what's best for Apple the company. But if he really does believe some of these things are in Apple's best interests, then take it up privately with Cook.

Statements like that render all the armchair CEOs of MacRumors, unable to express what they'd like Apple to do or state their opinions on what Apple have done. Its clear that Woz has no interest in business, but rather products.

Apple doesn't have to listen to him. And probably won't. Just like you don't have to listen to him. But you continue to do so despite not liking what he says anyway.

 

[Arran]

I think he should hold his tongue on giving Apple advice in public.

You're crediting him with more influence than he has.

He's a decent guy and all. But it's been made very clear -for a long time- that he has no hand in running Apple. Nor does he want one.

 

[sjinsjca]

I think Jobs was way overrated and not even a decent or nice human being to top it.

He could be a douche but grew as a human being in his latter years. I think you do him a disservice. He did many kind things but was not showy about it. He was devoted to Laurene and his kids and vocally grateful to his adoptive parents; his stable family life from his late 30's-on spoke well of him. By comparison, most folks agree that Woz seems the nicer of the two, but he's gone through a bunch of wives.

As to Jobs' business acumen, it's a rare entrepreneur who revolutionizes even one industry. Steve Jobs did it with several: personal computers (several times!), composition and printing, personal media, music distribution, animated feature films, smartphones, tablet computing... to say he's overrated begs the question of who, exactly, might have had as broad an impact as he did. Only a few possibilities come to mind: Edison, Henry Ford and Howard Hughes, mostly. Gates, Perot, Ellison, Watson... great businessmen all, but hardly in the same league.

Apple rarely introduces new things they introduce better versions of things that exist..iTunes and it iterative following's are what sells product. Neither the iPhone nor the iPad would exist at the popularity levels they do without the iTunes store.

Sure. And whose vision was that? And who created that out of thin air?

Meaningful innovation rarely has anything to do with "new things" so much as making good ideas practical... making them happen, often by creating an ecosystem that incubates and provides for growth. In that way, Edison didn't invent the light-bulb but he did make it a success. And in that way, Jobs didn't invent the personal MP3 player but he made it happen by filling in the blanks others had ignored.

I can get that you don't like Jobs--you have plenty of company--but please respect his accomplishments for what they were. Entrepreneurs of his class come once a generation.

My feelings on Jobs aside, Woz doesn't particularly want to be relevant he's got more than enough money and he's got his electronic toys. He's 63 or 64 years old and secured his place in history. Let the guy be happy and play with his stuff on his terms

Woz is well off but blew quite a lot of his fortune on rock concerts and other piffle. What characterizes Woz most today is his jolly inability to pass up a camera or microphone. It isn't about relevance with Woz anymore, it's about fun.

 

[Arran]

What characterizes Woz most today is his jolly inability to pass up a camera or microphone. It isn't about relevance with Woz anymore, it's about fun.

Good for him if he wants to be a celebrity. At least he's earned it - unlike some.

 

[BornAgainMac]

He hasn't been the same since the airplane accident back in 1981. It would have been nice to see Woz involved with the Mac, NeXTSTEP, OS X, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and be one of the main executives at Apple. But in this parallel universe, he left Apple and did his thing.

 

[Rogifan]

You're crediting him with more influence than he has.

He's a decent guy and all. But it's been made very clear -for a long time- that he has no hand in running Apple. Nor does he want one.

Then why offer them advice in the first place?

 

[roadbloc]

Then why offer them advice in the first place?

It isn't advice. It's his opinion! What is so hard to understand?

 

[vvswarup]

He's entitled to his opinion, but I'm glad he isn't the one calling the shots.

 

[Rogifan]

So Woz is back peddling now on his stupid idea.

http://anewdomain.net/2014/02/08/steve-wozniak-never-said-apple-make-android-phone/

One thing he did get right:

But I (said) total business decisions would be in the hands of knowledgeable Apple execs — not me.