Steve Wozniak has criticised Apple's iPhone and MacBook Air
Wozniak trashes iPhone and MacBook Air
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05 Mar 2008, Iain Thomson , V3
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has slammed the iPhone and the new MacBook Air as poorly designed.
Wozniak criticised the iPhone's lack of 3G connectivity, pointing out that 3G is essential for an internet device.
He has previously criticised the decision to cut the price of the phone by $200 shortly after launch.
"I was really disappointed when the iPhone was introduced," Wozniak said during a press conference following his keynote speech at the Broadband and Beyond Conference in Sydney today.
"Half the phones in the AT&T store at the time were 3G phones. I was shocked because Apple is bringing the full internet [to mobiles] - full web pages with pictures and everything - and it's not 3G and I knew that would be a speed detriment."
Wozniak added that, while he still uses an iPhone, he prefers a Motorola Razr for calls and internet access.
The Apple co-founder also criticised the MacBook Air, which he felt had made too many hardware tradeoffs to achieve a thin form factor.
"I don't think it's going to be a hit. I'm trying to figure out a way to make the Air a part of my life because I'm a one-laptop-only person," he said.
"I don't feel it's a benefit if you have to carry the Air plus a DVD player plus a couple of extra dongles to connect to Ethernet things and also maybe an extra hard disk to carry your music."
Wozniak has gained something of a reputation for openly criticising Apple if he feels the company is making a mistake.
He was unhappy when the firm moved to Intel processors, for example, but said that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs "very seldom" calls him up to complain about his stance.
"We're really good friends - never argued over these things - but once in a while he will just have a comment, 'thanks a lot'."
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Do you agree?
Get real
Why don't we let the CONSUMER decide how to spend their money?
Smile Wozniak its just a phone.
Posted by Fabio, 07 Mar 2008
Nate doesn't understand 3G
iPhone without 3G is a joke, especially since there's little or no 2.5G (EDGE) availability here. I'm not aware that receiving a 3G signal sucks any more juice than receiving GPRS...
Posted by Etan, 26 Mar 2008
Wozniak doesn't understand 3G
3G is in a limited number of places. It would suck up the battery in no time. Jobs may not always be liked, but he does lead a company to do some very innovative products. It is very difficult to continously do that. I have never used a cell phone so much until I got my Iphone. It is not to surf the internet all day, but it does help me find information when i'm not around a computer or need to check out traffic before a drive home. Not to mention find directions when I'm traveling. I have a Razr for a company phone and it is the worst phone I have ever had and anyone I know that has it feels the same. It's easy for Wozniak to critisize, but I bet he wish he would have though about those products. With larger flash memory being created the market will go in a direction of Mac book air's. It would be great to get rid of the rotating hard drives once and for all. I think Jobs understands customers better then Wozniak.
Posted by Nate, 05 Mar 2008
So true
even though I use apples products but they are omitting lotsof important features with lame excuses. No 3G? No optical drive? No flash for iphone and iPod touch? No software updates thru iTunes for customers outside of US? Shame on you apple!
Posted by Zorkor, 05 Mar 2008
Your headline is an insult to Steve
He did not "trash" the iPhone or hte MacBook air. I have heard him speak on a lot of Podcasts about how the media misreprents what he says. Just another example. You should be ashamed of yourself
Posted by murls, 06 Mar 2008
Woz is stating the bleeding obvious
Am I missing something or is there more than a hint of the Emperor's new clothes about Apple these days?
A laptop without a USB port - how can anyone with a brain think this is a good design?
A very expensive mobile phone without 3G? Ditto question above.
Apple needs a kick up its back orifice.
Posted by Kiwi, 07 Mar 2008