Woz: Apple got arrogant

In an interview with a South African site, Steve Wozniak does not bring his word-mincer along. He specifically laments that the iPhone 5 screen still isn't big enough.

He pleads for a bigger iPhone 5. James Martin/CNET

Please read the following while not clutching sharp objects, delicate stuffed toys or your iPhone 5.

For Steve Wozniak, he who co-founded Apple, has declared that the company has been -- well, how can I put this? Yes, OK. "Arrogant."

I am grateful to Business Insider, which spotted that Woz had given an interview with South African tech site TechCentral.

As usual, Woz oozed sincerity, especially when it comes to iPhone 5.

"Part of me wishes Apple had not been so, kind of, arrogant and feeling like 'we're the only one with the right clue.' I wish they had made wider versions -- a small and a large version of the iPhone," he said.

Yes, he did say arrogant. And I don't I feel he said it because he has unusually large hands.

Indeed, he explained: "I think Apple tricked itself by saying 'Oh, you can reach everything with one thumb.' And I don't see anybody having trouble using the larger screens (...) But Apple said that as a defensive move because everyone else had larger screens."

Warming to his thesis, he said: "Not all people want the same thing. A lot of people want the big screens." Just as they want big cars and even big meals.

"You get a feeling you're getting more with a larger screen," he mused.

The interview ranged over many subjects.

Woz reiterated his fondness for Android: "I hated using Windows. I don't have that feeling about Android."

He wishes "that Apple had taken steps to maintain the lion's market share."

He also wishes "that iPhone had been just a great a product as it was, but more open."

As for the way phones are marketed, he offered: "Comparing feature to feature to feature, that's just bullshit." No one buys a phone, he said, because it has one feature and another phone doesn't.

Woz fears that "there might be a marketing shortcoming" that explains why Apple's global market share isn't as big as he thinks it ought to be. What sort of shortcoming he didn't make entirely clear.

He also re-emphasized his disdain for the Apple-Samsung patent lawsuit .

The whole interview was highly entertaining. I wonder how many people at Apple might have listened.


Join the discussion

Conversation powered by Livefyre

Don't Miss
Hot Products
Trending on CNET


iPhone running slow?
