The life and times of Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, who turns 65 today
Wozniak developed the hardware and operating systems for the Apple 1 in 1976. This rare version of the early computer sold for more than $380,000 at a Christie's auction in 2013.
He and Jobs officially launched Apple Computer in April 1976.
Company lore has it that the pair built the computers in Jobs' Los Altos garage, but Wozniak says that's mostly a myth. He told Bloomberg Businessweek's Brandon Lisy, "The garage didn't service much purpose, except it was something for us to feel was our home."
Source: Bloomberg
That hasn't stopped thousands of Apple fanboys from making the trip to the former Jobs home each year.
http://instagram.com/p/iRiP52NKbL/embed/
Width: 800px
In 1977, Wozniak designed the Apple II, which went on to become one of the first majorly successful personal computers available for mass purchase. Here Jobs, then Apple CEO John Sculley, and Wozniak showed off the Apple IIc. Revealed in April 1984, the computer was Apple's first attempt at a portable model.
Wishing to pursue a more engineering-focused role elsewhere, Wozniak decided to leave his managing responsibilities at Apple in 1985, selling most of his stock. He is still an Apple employee, though, and receives an annual stipend that's estimated to be worth at least $120,000.
Source: The Guardian
In 1986, he finished his degree in electrical engineering at the University of California in Berkeley, graduating using the name Rocky Raccoon Clark to keep his identity secret. He had first attended Berkeley in 1971, but ended up taking a break to work on Apple. Don't call him a college dropout, though — he told the Los Angeles Times, "I simply took a year off to earn money for my fourth year of school. And then my career kept going up."
Source: Los Angeles Times
In 1982 and 1983, he helped sponsor the US Festival, a kind of cross between a computer conference and a music festival.
In 1986, Wozniak helped design his family home, a sleek-looking house with six bedrooms and 7,500 square feet of space. The Los Gatos home recently sold for $3.9 million, though the Wozniak family hasn't lived there in several years.
He's launched a number of other personal projects since Apple, including CL 9, which built the first universal remote. He also founded Wheels of Zeus, which developed a wireless GPS technology, and spent a few years teaching grade school. In 2002, he joined the board of directors for Danger, Inc., which made PDA devices.
Wozniak definitely knows how to have fun. In 2009, he made an appearance on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."
In his spare time, Wozniak likes to play Segway polo with his hometown team, the Silicon Valley Aftershocks.
Here he is playing in the 2009 Segway polo world championship, which has been named the Woz Challenge Cup in his honor.
Source: California Magazine
He's often spotted riding a Segway around his hometown, Los Gatos.
His other set of wheels — a white Tesla Model S — is a little flashier. "We love it more than any other car we have," he told NBC News. "The car is not only great, but you get free charging on the road and free Internet for the life of the car. That's unheard of."
Source: NBC News
Wozniak plans to retire in Australia. He currently works as an adjunct professor at the University of Technology in Sydney, communicating with students in the school's Magic Lab via video chat.
Source: New York Times, CNET
Popular Right Now
Advertisement