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The OTHER Steve Speaks (2/5/98)
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The modern legend of "two guys in a garage" is part of the Apple mystique, but while Steve Jobs has returned very forcefully to the Apple spotlight, the "other guy" isn't quite so visibly involved in the Apple soap opera any more. Steve Wozniak, the brain behind the first Apple computer, all but retired from the engineering rat-race, threw a big rock concert, and now seems content in his settled-down role of father and teacher. The Austin American-Statesman has a touching piece about the Woz and his perspective on the whole Cupertino thing.
Just as we're all very familiar with Steve Jobs cast in the role of the temperamental svengali pulling the strings, Wozniak is often painted as the stereotypical gentle nerd-- with no killer business instinct, but a slew of awesome technological ideas swarming around in his head. That naïvete shows through in the Statesman piece, when he waxes sadly about the state of Apple and what it's become. He recalls his early belief that if you had a good product, you could sell it and get rich, but looks around today and sees that's not necessarily the case. He blames the company's refusal to engage in early and open licensing for Apple's backseat status to the Wintel juggernaut: "we were left out and second place when we should have been first."
Wozniak's involvement with Apple these days is limited to a little consulting, for which he earns a modest twelve grand a year; he has very little input into Apple's future direction, and that's just the way he likes things. On the other hand, he feels that Jobs will "get drawn further into the company" as time goes on, which only makes sense. After all, it's Jobs' duty-- and passion-- to get the company back on track and make things Insanely Great again. Or at least sustainably profitable. (And, we hope, continually entertaining.)
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SceneLink (423)
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 2/5/98 episode: February 5, 1998: The other half of the Apple legend looks sadly back upon what might have been, and considers where his old partner will take the company. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice sharpens its knives in preparation for a full-scale attack on the Redmond Giant, and Netscape is seen holding a sign that reads "Will Sell Out For Food..."
Other scenes from that episode: 424: Microsoft: Charge THIS (2/5/98) Lessee, there's the Sun/Java lawsuit, the antitrust investigation from eleven states, the inquiry by the European Competition Commissioner, the threat of possible antitrust action by the government of Japan, a slew of smaller legal skirmishes, and of course the big brouhaha with the Department of Justice... 425: The Vultures Multiply (2/5/98) Yesterday, it was Sun who was ready to pounce on Netscape's weakening form and swallow it whole. Today, the circle of potential predators has grown-- and rumor has it that Netscape itself is eager to sell...
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