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Steve "Woz" Wozniak is born in San Jose, CA, the son of a Lockheed electrical engineer. Steve nurtures a fascination with electronics at an early age, and his father helps teach him about electrical engineering (Isaacson 156). -
At age 13, Woz wins a science contest for "building a computer-like machine that could add and subtract" (Levy 107). In high school, his precocious nature and pranks involving technology get him into trouble (Isaacson 156), otherwise, his hobbies include reading the manuals for computers made by HP and DEC to try to redesign them with fewer chips (156). -
In 1971, Woz and his neighborhood friend, Steven Jobs, build a "Blue Box", a device for "phreaking" or hacking into phone lines without paying for long-distance service (Hosch, 2024). He and Jobs turn this into their first joint venture, making 100 of them and selling them for $150 each (Isaacson, 157). -
Wozniak goes to work for Hewlett Packard. (Hosch, 2024). -
In March of 1975, Woz becomes a key member of the California-based hobbyist club, "The Homebrew Computer Club". Here, Wozniak is introduced to fellow hackers and computer enthusiasts via their tinkering with an Altair computer (Isaacson 160). -
Wozniak drops out of Berkely to focus on full time work at HP. -
After receiving a handout on the new Intel Microprocessor at his first Homebrew meeting, Woz begins to tinker with his own computer using this processor, which integrates a screen, keyboard, and a computer all in one. This computer becomes known as the Apple I (Isaacson 160). -
Wozniak departs HP, and partners with his friend and fellow Homebrew member, Steve Jobs, to form Apple Computer in 1976. This partnership will revolutionize the personal computer industry. As William Hosch sates in his Encyclopedia Britannica article from October 2024, "their initial capital came from selling Jobs’s automobile and Wozniak’s programmable calculator, and they set up production in the Jobs family garage to build microcomputer circuit boards" (Hosch, 2024). -
The next computer in Apple's line comes in 1977. Dubbed the Apple II, this computer integrates Wozniak's engineering mastery and Jobs's design prowess. It appeals to a much wider market than just the Homebrew hobbyists (Hosch, 2024) and charts the future of the PC. -
After Apple goes public in 1980, Wozniak spends the next year working on hardware developments for the Apple II, including a floppy disk drive and other operating system components (Hosch, 2024). -
In February of 1981, Wozniak crashes his small plane, suffering traumatic amnesia; he steps away briefly from Apple during this period of recovery (Hosch, 2024). -
Following his recovery from a plane crash, Wozniak returned to work for Apple. [YouTube](1982.https://youtu.be/5EAMwVkMvbg?si=-bNOOJWr1j6gT0iQ) -
Wozniak retires from Apple in 1985 after US President Ronald Reagan awards Wozniak and Jobs with a National Medal of Technology (Hosch, 2024) -
Wozniak returns to Berkeley as a student under the pseudonym "Rocky Clark" but drops out for a second time. However, Berkely eventually recognizes his work at Apple and awards him a bachelor of science in electrical engineering (Hosch, 2024). -
After leaving Apple, Wozniak becomes in involved in various philanthropic causes, focusing on educating children and teaching computer enrichment classes to young teens. He then goes on to write his autobiography, "iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It". His later career focuses on several other business ventures, including Efforce, a company focused on funding energy efficiency through cryptocurrency (Hosch, 2024).