Steve Wozniaks Technical Ability - Essay Example

Steve Wozniak Computers have become ubiquitous, and everyone needs computer services in one way or the other in various stages in life. It is unimaginable what people could do without computers. Unfortunately, most people do not know the individuals behind some of the popular computer brands. To be more particular, Apple, one of the biggest brands in the market, has a history that is elusively understood. People know about Steve Jobs and even a young kid would instantaneously relate the name with the foundation of Apple. However, the revolution of personal computers owes a lot of credit to Wozniak, the co-founder or Apple. Wozniak remains unknown to many including some of the most loyal consumers of Apple products. Indeed, education goes hand in hand with technological innovations and advancing. This essay, thus, purposes to illuminate the impetus behind Wozniak’s innovation and relate it to educational attainments. History Jobs started Apple Co. with Steve Wozniak in 1976. Wozniak provided his technical ability while Jobs brought his mesmerizing energy on the table to develop a powerful team. Wozniak showcased his first home-made Apple I computer at Homebrew Computer Club in Silicon Valley in 1976. Apple’s popularity took a sudden twist and rose exponentially following Jobs employment at the Byte Shop. Wozniak soon followed suit and released a computer that made Apple as a company overly popular. The talented engineer built Apple II single-handedly ensuring that every hardware and software component had its place. What is more, Wozniak did this while still delivering at his day job with his colleague, Jobs, at Hewlett-Packard. Apple II went public in 1977 during a computer fair held in the West Coast. In the years that followed, Apple became a publicly listed company in the biggest IPO in 1956. Apple II redefined personal computers and introduced myriad ordinary people to extraordinary personal computers. The reason behind this success was the amazing design. An interview with Wozniak reveals the miraculous aspect of the engineer’s character (Ghosh 1). Figure 1: Steve Wozniak, co-founder Apple Computer Wozniak’s Motivation Many may say that educational attainments would lead to innovativeness. However, the case is not always that. For Wozniak, innovation came first and then scientific studies augmented his innovativeness later. In an interview that started with an inquiry of how the engineer started, Wozniak said, “I started reading books by Tom Swift at around 4th grade. This books detailed stories of a young engineer who could develop numerous innovative things, and he had his own business that dealt with submarines. This remains one of the greatest happenings I had ever come across, just like the best TV show I had ever watched. This is what got me started.” This response shows that Wozniak’s innovativeness started way before he had attained a high level in education. Wozniak, thereafter, gained a deep interest in education that fueled his passion in innovation. It sure took a long time for Wozniak to realize his first fruits, but the outcome was worthwhile. Sadly, many organizations do not have the same patience that Wozniak had. Organizations tend to rely on short-term projects rather than long-term ones. In the words of Hobcraft, an author on innovation, this is equivalent to pawning the future for current or immediate gains (Hobcraft 1). The people around a person play a huge role in defining the path and level of success in life. Various people provided Wozniak with both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards essential in advancing innovativeness. Leyba’s interview with the natural genius before his recent appointment as an advisor in Apple in 2012 reveals an important insight on this. Lebya wanted to know the things that initially motivated Wozniak’s love for technology to which he answered, “My father worked as an engineer, and this guided made my love for electronics grow as I got exposed to science projects. The teachers saw my smartness and encouraged me to read widely. In 5th grade, I was working on a huge computer-like project for a science fair. I developed a computer that could play Tic-Tac-Toe. I was also very smart in mathematics and acquired a HAM radio authorization in my 6th grade; so, passion for technology started early. This passion continued through and through, and I developed more complex computer projects. Eventually, this got into developing complete computers.” Indeed, it is clear that education plays a huge role, both in the initiation and progression of innovative ideas (Ghosh 1). Role of Education Education betters the choices of innovations as it improves the decision-making and judgmental skills of a person. Education improves the perception of individuals enabling them to see the beneficial aspects of innovation. It also assists individuals in anticipating the costs that come with innovations. In addition, it augments the ability of a person to decode and decide on relevant information while making pertinent innovation decisions. Educated individuals know about additional information sources, and have better capabilities to interpret it. Wozniak truly reveals the impact of education in advancing innovation. Wozniak agreed to the fact that education impacts education, particularly in its early diffusion stages (Marginson 47). Today, Wozniak is more of an advisor than an innovator, and he has stayed for a long time (Ghosh 1). Wozniak’s innovation capabilities grew together with his educational attainments. He states severally that science fairs at different stages of his life contributed to his abilities to build better computers than before and eventually, a real computer (Wolfson and Leyba 1). In addition to that, school systems that support technology and science also promote advancements and innovations. Students attain competence in vocational jobs quicker if school systems embrace pragmatic application of theories than if they do not. Albach (386) shows that this fact is true in his example that credits the educational system in Germany for the high vocational skills among the students. He further adds that deficiencies in systems of education reduce productivity rates in some countries (Albach 386). Conclusion This profile essay shows that Wozniak’s innovativeness began by reading. Further, the young engineer’s ideas advanced as he increasingly took part in science fairs. By the time Wozniak was in high school, he had become a proficient engineer who could build a computer from scratch. History also tells us that this development included homemade computers, which defined personal computers greatly. Steve Wozniak serves as a perfect elucidation on the impact of education on technological advancements. Several authors also attest to this premise in their analysis of the factors that underlie innovation. Today, organizations have to embrace the same attitude that Wozniak had when he was starting out. Dwelling on short-term goals, like most organizations do, will simply kill innovation, as innovation requires patients. Works Cited Albach, Horst. Culture and Technical Innovation: A Cross-Cultural Analysis and Policy Recommendations. Walter de Gruyter, 1993. Print. Ghosh, Shona. “Wozniak: Microsoft Hasn’t Innovated for a ‘Long Time’ | News | PC Pro.” PC Pro. N. p., 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. Hobcraft, Paul. “The Role of Education and Learning for Innovation | Innovation Management.” Innovation Management. N. p., 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. Marginson, Simon. Education and Public Policy in Australia. Cambridge University Press, 1993. Print. Wolfson, Jill, and John Leyba. “The Revolutionaries: Steve Wozniak.” The Tech. N. p., 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. Read More