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    The Week

    Irony alert: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak 'sings Android's praises'

    By The Week's Editorial Staff | The Week – Wed, Jan 18, 2012

    In a seemingly heretical act, Apple's other Steve confesses his admiration for the enemy

    The story: The late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once promised to wage "thermonuclear war" on Google's Android for what he considered to be "grand theft" of the iPhone's operating system. But in an interview with the The Daily Beast, the company's other co-founder, Steve Wozniak, "sings Android's praises," confessing that he's a "big fan of Android phones," and that he thinks Android has leapt ahead of Apple's iOS in many ways. "My primary phone is the iPhone," says Wozniak. "I love the beauty of it. But I wish it did all the things my Android does, I really do."

    The reaction: "Sacrilege!" says Deborah Netburn at the Los Angeles Times. The "iPhone-vs.-Android debate" will "rage eternal," just like "the Rolling Stones vs. the Beatles" and "the Yankees vs. the Mets." But we should all admit that despite some seemingly suspect praise for Android, Woz "still thinks most users would prefer the iPhone to the Android because, in the end, it's easier to use." Plus, says Suzanne Choney at MSNBC, "it's Wozniak's engineering analysis, detached and unbiased," that shapes his opinions. And remember, Wozniak is "pals from way back" with Google's Andy Rubin, the executive in charge of Android (and a former Apple employee). "No one should be troubled by this." 

    SEE MORE: How Apple really came to 'Think Different': 5 takeaways

     

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    7 comments

    • Nony
      Nony  •  4 mths ago
      Never forget it was Wozniak who actually MADE the first Apples. Jobs was just the sales guy.
      • DavidJ
        DavidJ 4 mths ago
        Jobs did not get 200 patents just by being the sales guy. Even assuming he was not the primary inventor on all of those patents, he was clearly far more hands on that most development managers let alone marketing. I suspect the distinction has to do with different kinds of technical expertise. Jobs does not have technical expertise in electronics and probably not really in programming either. Where I suspect he made his contribution is in the operation of the UI. That kind of contribution does not involve a large amount of technical skills. But, doing a good job on it does require a special kind of creativity and does have a big impact on the quality of the product. Presumably, the big complaint against Android is that its implementation copied the detailed structure of Apples iPhone and tablet UI's.
      • DavidR
        DavidR 4 mths ago
        Jobs got the patent on 'tablet with rounded corners' and 'mouse with only one button', so yes he's more than a sales guy but he's no engineer.
      • SokPuppet
        SokPuppet 4 mths ago
        Some bosses get their name on patents because they're the boss. Also, most of the patents are "design" patents, almost trivial as DavidR points out. Just being in a posistion to tell a group of engineers to "make this thinner or you're fired" and then to get the credit for "design" is not engineering.
    • C
      C  •  Orlando, Florida  •  4 mths ago
      There is nothing wrong to praise good electronic devices, applications OS's etc.. whoever makes them. I really do not understand loyalty based on brand names, e.g. Apple, Windows, Android fans or the iHaters.

      As an average consumer, I purchase products regardless who's the maker, as long as they produce good and reliable products. Android has great features, but personally, I prefer the iPhone because it has better GUI and its reliability..
    • Doug S
      Doug S  •  Annapolis, Maryland  •  4 mths ago
      Woz is a techie wonk - as long as Apple's not paying his check, he'll probably speak his mind about whatever system he thinks is best.
    • Getitright
      Getitright  •  Houston, Texas  •  4 mths ago
      But, why does he think Android is better? Why waste this space and just ramble? What can it do so much better, please?
    • John
      John  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  4 mths ago
      Shows me Woz can have an honest opinion and doesn't bias it.

      The man who made Apple can share an honest opinion. Without Woz, Apple may have never been.
    • Spot
      Spot  •  4 mths ago
      Is this dude crazy or what?
    • David
      David  •  4 mths ago
      Ah yes, Mr. Irrelevant opens his foolish mouth once again, and the press jumps to report it. Job well done, you bone heads!
      • Patrick F
        Patrick F 4 mths ago
        The Wizard of Woz is far from irrelevant
      • John
        John 4 mths ago
        Apple's existence is because of Woz. And I say this not owning or caring about Apple.
      • David
        David 4 mths ago
        @ John, your complete lack of history pertaining to Apple is utterly profound whether or not you own or care about Apple (which, if true) makes your reply to my comment as irrelevant as Wozniak. Wozniak created the first circuit boards in Job's garage for the first Apple computer. After that he was pretty much just a mascot!
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