Steve Wozniak, A Real Apple Guru

There were two Steves, both of whom are now in their 50s. They were well-known geeks in college. Both were “wireheads,” as they were infatuated in electronics engineering, but one Steve was a real prodigy, who was five years older than the other Steve, an adopted child and hippy wirehead who would wander in his bare feet and indulge in meditation. The first believed in science, while the latter believed in Zen Buddhism. It was Apple that the two high school alumnae Steves established in 1975 by investing $500 each.

Steve Jobs (52), who is synonymous with Apple, is illustrated as the “young Steve” in the newly released book, “i Woz.” The protagonist of the book is not Steve Jobs but Steve Wozniak (57), who was Job’s high school senior and made the first Apple PC.

Apple maniacs, who don’t show much affection for charismatic Steve Jobs, credit Apple’s success to Wozniak. They liken the two to members of the Beatles, the legendary British rock band, saying that “If Jobs is Paul McCartney, Wozniak is John Lennon.”

Is their judgment correct? It is half-correct according to the book co-written by journalist Gina Smith and introvert, low-profile Wozniak. While some say “i Woz” is basking in the glory of “icon Steve Jobs” published by Mineumsa in 2005, which turned the spotlight on Jobs who came back as a 21st century Bill Gates, others say the first came out as a reaction to the latter. What draws people’s attention is that the title of the book begins with “i,” the letter symbolizing Apple and, at the same time, “i Woz” reads like “I was.”

As a matter of fact, Wozniak has been the creator but it has been Jobs who has succeeded in commercializing Wozniak’s creations, including the illegal phone hacking equipment “Blue Box,” Apple I consisting of 30 chips, and Apple II which is the prototype of personal computers. He told a bitter story in the book that though they earned thousands of dollars by designing an integrated circuit for a video game, “Break Out,” Jobs lied to him that the proceeds made were a mere $700 and gave him half this amount.

But money is of no importance for Wozniak, who started learning about principles of electronics from his father, a missile developer at Lockheed Martin Co., when he was three years old. What matters for him is a mission as an engineer of inventing mechanical devices and equipment that can make the world a better place to live.

Five years after its inception, Apple was listed in NASDAQ, and the two became billionaires. However, from that point, they took different paths. While Jobs turned himself to a manager and was eager to take control of the company, Wozniak carried out the “Woz Plan,” under which he distributed his shares to employees. He sold each employee 2000 shares for a mere five dollars per share.

In 1982 and 1983, in order to revive the spirit of the Woodstock Festival, he planned and held the “U.S. Festival,” though he anticipated the event would leave him with a $24 million deficit. As Apple grew to be a “dinosaur,” he volunteered to be a regular worker with a minimum salary for new inventions and set up a venture company producing integrated remote controls after leaving Apple in 1985. Since 1989, he has taught in the elementary school his children attended.

His humble features are in contrast to Steve Jobs, who got fired from the company after losing the battle for management rights in 1986. This is the reason for Wozniak being called a true guru of Apple. However, just as John Lennon imbued the Beatles with inspiration and soul while McCartney produced music, Wozniak created technology that made Apple as it is now, while Jobs brought about an advanced business culture and vision to Apple.

The differences between the two are also manifested in their differing attitudes towards music. For Wozniak, the music industry is just the one that provides expensive entertainment, but Jobs turned around Apple with its iPod and iTunes by making the most of the music industry.

At the end of the book, Wozniak tells, “In a sense, Apple was a poisonous apple in my life.” This implies that his life was swayed by Apple. It is true for Jobs as well. He suffered a public failure at the age of 30 while admiring himself at the top position of one of the world’s best companies. But he learned a significant lesson from the failure and turned the poison into a good medicine, which was evidenced by the fact that, at about the same time, Wozniak also returned to Apple as an advisor. Readers will find themselves attracted to Steve Jobs as well as Steve Wozniak while reading, which is the real virtue of this book.

confetti@donga.com