Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid' • Hacker News Board

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#41

Post by rickdangerous1 » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 8:56 AM UTC

navs wrote: post #3

Oh Woz, I'd wait in a line for days just to talk to you. Being a technical man, I'm surprised in how he reacted to those 'technical terms' that were mentioned. Listening to this, I felt he knew exactly what Apple was/is and strives to be. If he still elicits respect from the current Apple camp, wouldn't he be a good choice to take over Steve Job's role? If not a CEO, an advisor? I say this not knowing a thing about c…

I'm reading his book iWoz at the moment. In that he makes it clear he's never wanted to be a manager. He didn't/doesn't want to control other people etc. In fact, he only agreed to leave HP and join apple (after designing and building the apple I and II in his spare time) when he realized he could be in his own company and still stay as an engineer.

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#42

Post by syncopate » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 9:20 AM UTC

How come Pixar was still able to make great movies after Steve left?

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#43

Post by michaelpinto » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 9:44 AM UTC

I don't fear for Apple — I fear for the entire industry. Tonight I got my new toy and of course I wasted a few hours exploring every inch of the iPhone 4s. But the more I did it, the more empty I found myself feeling. It hit me hard that I didn't give a damn about the thing and I was still upset about Jobs. It's the very notion that there will never be another "and just one more thing".

Walking home tonight I kept rattling over the many impersonal things he touched and made human. Even if Jobs had just done the Apple II that would would have been enough for one lifetime, yet he did it again and again. And I'm ten years younger than Jobs so my entire concept of technology was shaped by him and now I'm feeling like an orphan. And while he's not eloquent that's what our friend Woz is really saying...

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#44

Post by agumonkey » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 10:04 AM UTC

syncopate wrote: post #42

How come Pixar was still able to make great movies after Steve left?

In case that wasn't 100% irony: He mostly funded them, took part in decisions at first, but stopped soon after that... Pixar is not is child.

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#45

Post by technoslut » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 12:01 PM UTC

daimyoyo wrote: post #25

This is what scares me. Apple is going to become a "good enough" company. The fact is that no one at Apple is going to have both the vision to see what matters, and the clout within the company to actually affect change. As Woz said, the product line for the near future will be fine, but the true test will come when they have to come up with what's next.

Apple will be fine for the next decade. There are a few areas where Apple can enter where disruption is easy and desperately needed such as vehicle entertainment systems and televisions.

As for what's next, I think it's wearable computing. It's still a long way off but it has clearly entered their thoughts with the iPod nano and patents that have surfaced over the past few years.

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#46

Post by MatthewPhillips » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 12:12 PM UTC

syncopate wrote: post #42

How come Pixar was still able to make great movies after Steve left?

Seen Cars? Up?

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#47

Post by city41 » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 1:10 PM UTC

thematt wrote: post #27

Somewhat off-topic, but in order for Woz to get an iPhone he has to stand in line at an Apple store? Am I understanding that right...or is it just for publicity sake? I would've thought he would have enough connections inside to get a phone long before launch day and certainly not through a retail store.

Woz has stated in the past that he is entitled to free Apple products for the rest of his life, but he never takes Apple up on it.

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#48

Post by mladenkovacevic » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 1:21 PM UTC

michaelpinto wrote: post #43

I don't fear for Apple — I fear for the entire industry. Tonight I got my new toy and of course I wasted a few hours exploring every inch of the iPhone 4s. But the more I did it, the more empty I found myself feeling. It hit me hard that I didn't give a damn about the thing and I was still upset about Jobs. It's the very notion that there will never be another "and just one more thing". Walking home tonight I kept ra…

I would take that even a step further... The entire consumerist culture is under threat (at least in this hemisphere). Think of how excited you are when you get any new toy (car, brand new jacket, tv, shoes..) and all the euphoria and emotional investment involved in the point and time of purchase. Then you take it home, play with it for a little while and while you realize that this "thing" doesn't completely and fully satisfy you, the excitement fizzles out over time and you go looking for the next high. Apple is like the Vatican of consumerism so they are able to sustain this emotional euphoria in their customers for much much longer than most brands.

I say good riddance.. The time we spend obsessing over a phone, computer, car, right type of clothing would be much better spent meeting and connecting with new people, solving problems, reflecting on life and teaching younger people.

I'm starting to sound like a Yogi on an acid trip so I'll end there.

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#49

Post by rbanffy » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 1:53 PM UTC

erikpukinskis wrote: post #21

hkmurakami wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was excruciating to listen to the interviewer's little interjections. These little affirmations are what you're supposedly "supposed to do" in conversation, but boy does it sound _awful_ for an interview. It was eye opening for me in this regard as well - know your setting.

I thought the questions were great, and I suspect you're being a little sexist and ageist. Sexist in that if Charlie Rose asked exactly the same questions with his Charlie Rose manner, you wouldn't be as upset, and ageist in that the interviewer was clearly quite young. Woz is a lifelong teacher, and is as dedicated to supporting young people learn as anyone, and you're here shitting on their work. She's not Oprah ye…

> according to our cultural norms, women aren't supposed to do that.

I am quite sure not all of us share cultural norms.

Re: Woz on Apple: 'I'm a little afraid'

#50

Post by rbanffy » Sat, Oct 15, 2011, 2:22 PM UTC

I for one would love to see Woz back to Apple as an über-advisor. He is half of the company's soul and is the only person who can gather as much respect (and authority to say no) as Jobs could. He also seems to get Apple better than most. I agree completely with his objections on the technical aspects of the 4S presentation - people don't want to know of antenna switching. Just say "you can hold it anyway you want and it won't lose reception". People don't want to know about dual cores - just say it's a much faster processor that enables things that were considered previously impossible and then introduce Siri.