Steve Wozniak
Co-Founder, Apple Computer
Wozniak talks about "fun" as a driving force behind what he does, whether its playing pranks, playing Segway polo, or designing machines. That idea and his constant tinkering led him to design the Apple I and II, computers he said were built for fun.
Through most of school, I had been an outsider. You might call it a nerd. You know, I was a techie, so you might call it a geek.Steve Wozniak
About the Innovator
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak (born August 11, 1950 in San Jose, California) is an American computer engineer, and the co-founder of Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.), with Steve Jobs. His inventions and machines are credited with contributing greatly to the personal computer revolution of the 1970s. Wozniak created the Apple I and Apple II computers in the mid-1970s. The Apple II gained a sizable amount of popularity, eventually becoming one of the best selling personal computers of the 1970s and early 1980s.
Wozniak has several nicknames, including "The Woz", "Wonderful Wizard of Woz" and "iWoz" (a reference to the ubiquitous naming scheme for Apple products). "WoZ" (short for "Wheels of Zeus") is also the name of a company Wozniak founded. He is known for his introverted character, and he finds his level of celebrity somewhat annoying. He is also known as the "Other Steve" of Apple Computer, the better known Steve being co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs. He and his family are of Polish descent.
Why He Innovates
Together with Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak created the first commercially available personal computers and helped establish home computing for the masses. The two men went on to found Apple Computers, Inc.