Steve Wozniak is a pioneer of computer technology, designer of one of the first personal computers in the world (“Apple I”), co-founder of Apple.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on August 11, 1950 in San Jose, California.
In his autobiography, he recalled that his father once worked as an engineer in the rocket program at Lockheed and began to introduce his son to the basics of electronics even before the boy was 4 years old.
When Steve was 7 years old, his family moved to Sunnyvale and settled on Edmonton Avenue. This place, located in the center of the Santa Clara Valley, was surrounded by gardens at that time. Today, this region is known as Silicon Valley.
At school, Wozniak had a knack for sports – he ran well and played baseball.
He received his higher education at the University of California at Berkeley, but already in the second year he decided to take an academic leave. He completed his studies only in 1986 – received a bachelor’s degree in computer technology and electrical engineering.
Career
In 1975, Wozniak got a job at Hewlett-Packard, where he developed calculators. At that time, the company had only one computer of its own production, which was used by about 80 engineers.
In his spare time, he, along with Steve Jobs and John Draper, was fond of creating devices for hacking telephone devices.
Apple
At the beginning of 1975, the first personal computer, the Altair 8800, appeared. Due to the fact that Wozniak could not buy it, he decided to assemble his own version, using a ready-made microprocessor from Motorola along with several memory modules.
In the same year, Jobs invited Wozniak to develop his own computer model. In the garage that belonged to Steve’s family, they created a computer board – a prototype of the future Apple I. One of the local electronics sellers ordered 25 such devices from them.
A year later, Jobs and Wozniak founded Apple Computer, Inc., which was officially registered in 1977.
The first Apple Computer product was the Apple I computer, which cost $ 666,66. It was distinguished by its compact size and simple design. In total, 600 units were sold. Subsequently, the Apple II was introduced, which became even more convenient and compact. The company quickly gained success, and already in 1980 acquired the status of a joint stock company (JSC).
After the release of computers, the company took up the production of printers and software development. The bulk of the applications for Apple were created by Wozniak. Among his developments are the Calvin programming language, a set of virtual instructions for a 16-bit processor known as SWEET16, as well as the game Breakout.
In 1980, the Apple II went on mass sale, which brought Jobs and Wozniak millionaire status. By 1992, the company’s annual profit reached $7 billion.
Leaving Apple
At the beginning of 1981, Wozniak got into a plane crash, after which he temporarily left the company. However, in 1983 he returned to Apple and worked there until 1985. At the same time, he left the post of vice president.
Later, he founded several companies in the field of high technology, including, for example, CL-9, which was engaged in the development of remote access systems for home computers.
Today he has the status of a consultant with a nominal salary and retains a stake in Apple.
Community Service
In 1985, the then President of the United States of America (USA) Ronald Reagan awarded Wozniak the National Medal of Technology.
In 1997, the name of the inventor was included in the list of members of the Museum of Computer History in San Jose, and in September 2000 he became one of the members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
In September 2007, the inventor published his autobiography – “iWoz”, and two years later he took part in the show “Dancing with the Stars”.
In addition, Wozniak is actively involved in charity.
In September 2021, he announced the founding of the private space company Privateer Space, emphasizing that its concept would differ from other similar projects. In November of the same year, he launched a startup whose goal was to organize data on space debris orbiting the Earth.
Marital Status
Steve Wozniak has been married four times:
- with Alice Robertson from 1976 to 1980;
- with Candace Clark from 1981 to 1987. With her he has three children;
- with Suzanne Mulkern from 1990 to 2004;
- with Janet Hill, with whom he is together to this day. The couple got married in 2008.
