Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is certainly an eccentric character of the tech sector. He is essentially the father of personal computers as his Apple I and Apple II brought a revolution to the field.
His numerous interviews over time have a unique trait: he always says what he believes and never panders to any company's ears, not even Apple's.
He recently gave an interview for the thirty-first issue of Distro (Engadget) that is really worth reading below since it was once again revealing.
-What is the gadget you are dependent on in your daily life?
W: If I had to choose only one, it would be the 17‑inch MacBook Pro I have. With it I manage my email, surf the internet, talk on Skype and edit video and my photos. For organizing my daily tasks I have BusyCal and Google Calendar while I read Google News and NetNewsWire to stay informed about daily tech news. The iPhone is the phone I use the most, with the Dropbox app having served me excellently. The Time Capsule is also an important part of my daily activities to make all my backups on a 24‑hour basis. For editing my photos I have Aperture and iPhoto and, generally speaking, most of the things I do daily are better integrated with my MacBook, for example with my iPhone or iPad.
-Which gadget from the past do you miss?
W: This should be the first transistor radio I made to listen to music 24/7 when I was a kid. It accompanied me constantly even in my sleep. To be honest, after the third year in college I created a series of gadgets and they were all my favorites. Of course the list also includes all iPods that have been created along with iPhones and iPads.
– Which company do you think is leading the developments in the industry?
W: You have to joke with me. Apple was and continues to be in the driver's seat. A series of companies can be compared to an ocean with big and small waves but in a corresponding parallel, Apple for me will always be Everest. The day Apple announces a new product category is a day that puts the future in every user's hand.
-What is your favorite operating system?
W: This is OS X. It is similar in many ways to the counterpart we had created for LISA, only then it was the wrong moment with the wrong price. I never could like Windows. Also iOS is equally beloved despite the limitations it has.
-Which do you consider the most successful names for the tech space?
W: I don't have a good answer here. Let me think. Apple would be the first name and then the name Newton as well as iRobot. The word Google also appeals to me a lot as does the name ”Mophie”.
-What do you consider unsuccessful names for the tech space?
W: The ThinkPad xxxx is certainly one, like all these boring names that manufacturers give to cameras.
-What is the application you use most often?
W: This is the Mail of OS X. I would like there to be support and compatibility for the Eudora application for Lion and for later OS X would make my life easier.
-What are the factors that can annoy you the most on a smartphone?
W: H The poor sound quality especially in calls. So far the most reliable phone I had in this area is the iPhone. I also get annoyed by devices that don't have a long battery life. Navigation on small screens and the lack of multitasking are equally irritating. I also don't like using extra apps to take photos because I like simplicity and the many menus and my options give me a headache especially when I want to do something as simple as capture a moment.
-Which features do you like the most in a smartphone?
W: I like the thin design and the ability to use it with one hand. Using its camera for actions such as QR codes, Google Goggles, location finding and also for NFC. I also like reminders, synchronization with computers, Skype, Sling Player apps, radio apps, the Sirius-XM app and finally the fact that I can take photos and video.
-Which would be the ideal smartphone for you?
W: The ideal smartphone for me would be one that combined features and services from various market devices together with a voice recognition system that would understand what I say, however I say it, and would give me clear answers and wouldn't send me back a series of links. I would like a device that knows me as well as my best friend, to the point where I want to renounce human friends.
-Which technological achievement do you admire most?
W: The first transistor and the creation of the first electronic chip. If we talk about devices, this would be the iPhone with the close second being the Apple II.
-Which technological achievement do you admire less?
W: Initially the Cloud, since it came into our lives very quickly, doesn't give you the feeling that you own anything or any content. Also if it doesn't work properly, a common phenomenon, then even up until yesterday applications that were trouble-free don't work properly either. Also in the device domain I hate the HTC Thunderbolt phone with its problematic and awful Sense UI. Also the email annoys me because I receive a huge number as well as international call charges from the phone. $7,000 bill for half a day in Germany and $16,000 for a day in Moscow where I used my iPhone minimally in both cases; they are the best examples I have of how disappointed I am with the charging system if you operate even minimally your phone in a foreign country.
-What mistakes can you tolerate in a smartphone?
W: These would be the color, and the quality of the screen and the sound
-What mistakes cannot you tolerate in a smartphone?
W: Here the list is long, from apps that work one day and the next stop working, batteries that run out very quickly and services that are incomplete, here also include Apple's Siri service.
-When is a smartphone more useful for you and which is the one you have used the most?
W: Surely the value of the smartphone for me becomes apparent when I travel, something I do very often. For me the best smartphone overall and the one I have used and use the most is the iPhone 4s, it's simply perfect for me and has served me very well.
