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Woz Is First In Line For iPhone 4S

An anonymous reader writes "Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is already camped out in front of an Apple store for the new iPhone 4S. From the article: 'Woz and his trusty Segway showed up at his local Apple store in Los Gatos Thursday and said he will stay there overnight. He added he already has two phones coming to his house, but doesn't mind hanging out for one more for his wife.'"

24 of 287 comments (clear)

  1. That son of a bitch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    No wonder those phones are sold out.

    1. Re:That son of a bitch by HermMunster · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What he's doing is being a publicity hound. He could walk into Apple, talk to Tim Cook, and have a box of them placed in his lap. I find these antics humorous and highly manipulative. He's a billionaire. He can fly in private jets anywhere in the world on a moments notice. He can buy some whole towns. Why would a billionaire stand in line all night long to get a cellphone that his company sells?

      One final note. Be wary of the practical joker. Those around him should probably get ready to have him buy theirs as well, as a good gesture.

      Yes, Woz, we'll miss you too.

      --
      You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
    2. Re:That son of a bitch by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Can a guy have fun?

      Quit being a buzz kill

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
    3. Re:That son of a bitch by blind+monkey+3 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You're right, he's an absolute pauper - $100 million net worth. More important than money, he provided on-site support tech support for his local school district.

      --
      BM3
    4. Re:That son of a bitch by Grygus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You lost all respect for someone you've never met, based on what you imagine his intentions to be, surrounding actions taken during events at which you were not present.

      No offense, but I get the impression that your respect isn't really worth a whole lot in the first place, if you treat it so arbitrarily.

    5. Re:That son of a bitch by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Informative

      Why would a billionaire stand in line all night long to get a cellphone that his company sells?

      I know this will sound crazy, but "he enjoys other human beings?" I know, the only reasonable thing for a wealthy man to do is sit home and count his money, but for some reason Woz goes out and interacts with other Apple aficionados.

      The last time this story ran, he was helping a woman figure out what was wrong with her Macbook. Afterwards people said to her, "do you know who that was?" Any reasonable rich guy would have told her to pound sand or at least talk to the Genius Bar (despite both of those words being misleading).

      Woz - man of mystery.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    6. Re:That son of a bitch by CapuchinSeven · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why would a billionaire stand in line all night long to get a cellphone that his company sells?

      As you said, for the publicity. Cults being what they are, I'm sure it all helps to perform minor miracles to keep the sheep spending until the day they can revive Zombie Jesus.. i mean Jobs.

      Or you know, it could just be that Woz is a pretty fun cool guy and likes to hang out with people in lines and makes new friends. Believe it or not, Woz doesn't need the money and the iPhone doesn't need the publicity to sell out in less than an hour. Frankly Woz is more the engineer, nerd and geek than any of us will likely ever be if the guy wants to stand in a line overnight for shits and giggles, more power to him. But no, it's cool, you twist that into some strange reason to insult a dead man. I'm just surprised you didn't mention Apple users being shee... OH wait, you did. I guess you bought an Android phone, installed someone else's ROM that they made nice and simple for you to understand and told yourself you're a "hacker" and more of a nerd than an Apple user.

    7. Re:That son of a bitch by CapuchinSeven · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah damn Woz, putting decades into teaching 5th grade children at his local school after he left Apple while donating huge sums of his own money to them instead of working at the Genius Bar just to show people he cares about the Apple fan base. Fuck you Woz, unless you spend your spare time working at the Genius bar then you clearly don't give a shit about the Apple fan base, that's the only way you can really care. Fucking Woz should be fixing my iPhone charger.

  2. Jedi phone by MrEricSir · · Score: 5, Funny

    I call it the Jedi phone. Use the 4S, Luke!

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  3. True geek by White+Flame · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's great to see as time marches on, that Woz remains so true to his roots & initial interests.

    As a side note, I removed 2 cycles from his SWEET16 interpreter when I ported it to the C64, without affecting functionality. That was an amazing little moment in my life, and felt as a great accomplishment given the body of work. :-)

  4. Re:First in line for Woz's old iPhone? by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 4, Funny

    I bet that's worth more than a new iPhone...

    Even with the gravy stains.

  5. Woz has not fallen by perpenso · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...how the mighty have fallen

    He has not fallen. He is a supremely talented engineer and never imagined himself qualified to be an executive. His aspirations were quite different from Jobs. When Woz had a boatload of money he decided to go give back to the community and teach at a public school for a while. He still occasionally gets involved in a startup but it is usually in some engineering or scientific capacity not some kind of executive or management capacity.

    1. Re:Woz has not fallen by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Maybe he was talking about the fact that if he's standing in line on a Segway until tomorrow, the batteries will fail.

  6. Awesome dude by StuartHankins · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Way to show support. Here is an awesome dude, the kind you hope for at your next party.

  7. I'd buy a 4S but.. by Time_Ngler · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't trust purchase advice from somebody who owns a segway.

  8. Re:3 *new* iPhones? by Dzimas · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He was the co-founder of an American company that currently employs 49,000 people and actually designs and makes stuff. Don't confuse him with money-churning banking leeches.

  9. I'll get his coffee for him by Quila · · Score: 3, Funny

    If he pays me in $2 bills.

  10. Re:Camping out? by Kozz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I can't imagine there's a single Apple "first-in-liner" that wouldn't let Woz cut to the front of the line if he showed up at the last minute.

    I can only imagine the kids in line saying, "Who the fuck are you?" Kids these days...

    --
    I only post comments when someone on the internet is wrong.
  11. Re:who gets phone #2 before his wife? by Princeofcups · · Score: 5, Funny

    So he has 2 phones being delivered to his home, but he wants a 3rd one for his wife?

    Is the second phone for his lover? His wifes lover? A pet? All of the above?

    He's an engineer. One to take apart, and one to keep and use. He's waiting in line because his wife reminded him that she would like one too. :-)

    --
    The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
  12. Re:Strange by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yeah, if only they could do something more constructive like spending their evenings criticizing people on the internet.

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  13. Re:3 *new* iPhones? by ediron2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    don't kid yourself: he's not one of us.

    As is so plainly evidenced by his eagerness to sit in line overnight with other iphone-geeking gadget-happy wonks. He could get another phone delivered, and he's hanging out all night.

    <sarc> Yeah, the dude has so-oo completely forgotten what it is to be a nerd. </sarc>

  14. He's always had my respect by FyberOptic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wow, lots of unexpected harsh comments regarding Woz here.

    Woz is just a nice guy. He likes to talk to people, especially when they share similar interests (Apple products in this case). This is the same guy who was so into computers that he regularly attended the Homebrew Computer Club, and sought out people who knew things he didn't (like about the phone system). It's also the same guy who works with young people to get them interested in programming and computers. He's a people person, even if he can seemingly be a bit shy sometimes.

    So why do people have to insert some kind of agenda into the guy's actions? He makes like $400 a month from Apple to not do anything, so he isn't exactly working for their marketing department. Whether his appearance makes a 30-second spot on the local evening news (which going by the media's interest in Woz compared to Jobs, maybe not), and if he's lucky sells a few more iPhones in his town to fans who were probably on the fence about buying it anyway, doesn't benefit him personally. And Woz standing in a line simply isn't going to generate any significant sales nationally either to make any noticeable impact on Apple's bottom line. Especially when you consider that the average Apple fan these days quite frankly (and sadly) may have no idea who the guy is.

    Jobs wasn't a very nice person. Not only do I understand peoples' dislike of the guy, I share it. But I honestly can just never understand any strong negative feelings about Woz. I personally have no interest in Apple or their products these days, but Woz is still a role model to someone like myself who's interested in programming and electronics. And I love to hear about his pranks, since I've been known to pull one here or there as well. People can blow Steve Jobs up into a visionary or Jesus or whatever other nonsense and I'll still never respect the guy. But Woz will always have my respect.

    Seriously, how many respectable role models are even left out there anymore, especially for young people?

    1. Re:He's always had my respect by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Maybe they're annoyed that Woz keeps getting all the credit for being the 'nice one' when Jobs gets looked down on still for something he did 30 years ago.

      Dude, even "get these damn scribble pads out of my office!" *throw* isn't 30 years ago. Jobs was well-known for being an asshole, and only his bout with cancer was enough to get people to stop saying so, because they felt guilty. But he brought us a walled garden and no shortage of arrogance ("you're holding it wrong") so from where I'm sitting he was the same guy he always was right up until he died.

      Speaking of holding it wrong, I note that the iPhone 4S has a redesigned antenna that makes the iPhone 4 case accessories not fit it, so you have to buy them all over again. I figure they redesigned it to solve the problem of people holding it wrong - you're supposed to shove it up your arse.

      Also, it doesn't have to be one or the other. Both Woz and Jobs are guys who did amazing things. You can like them both.

      Or you could think Steve Jobs was an asshole who did amazing things, and that Wozniak is a nice guy who did amazing things. That's OK too.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  15. Woz's Tick. by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Stuff like this is what makes Woz tick. He's a bit of an extroverted geek that loves to play. Read up on some of the stories on the original Apple and Apple II. The stuff the man did with chips and coding was nothing short of genius.

    He went out into the iPad lines and did magic tricks. Why? Because he could.

    Steve Jobs was driven by perfection of design. Features would not be implemented 95%, it had to be perfect. Woz is driven by fun. He loves practical jokes, he loves being creative. I can't describe him other than he is just Woz.

    What he does with his life is my envy and should probably be the envy of almost every slashdotter out there. Imagine if you had enough money to just camp out before Debian/Ubuntu/Fedora/Apache/[Random FOSS Project]/Microsoft/Apple made a new release. Or could just.... do what ever the hell you wanted. He could sit at home, in his mansion and own everything Apple ever released but he doesn't.