Steve Woz New Book Claims He Invented the Personal Computer

[administrator]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393061434


ya... I don't think so Steve. There is a select number of people who can make that claim and you are not one them. Most observers state that Chuck Peddle is inventor of the Personal Computer. Don't take my word for it see:

http://www.commodore.ca/gallery/magazin ... 0_1984.pdf

And how about the first sentence from a little Magazine you might have heard of called BYTE "More than any other person, Chuck Peddle deserves to be called the founder of the personal computer industry." It was written in 1982 when they had a clear memory of the facts.
http://www.commodore.ca/gallery/magazin ... 982_sm.pdf

If you read our Chuck page http://www.commodore.ca/history/people/ ... peddle.htm and our MOS page http://www.commodore.ca/history/company ... nology.htm you will see that after he invented the 6502 http://www.commodore.ca/gallery/magazin ... t_1975.pdf, Chuck went to see that little upstart called Apple and showed them how to use it!

Chuck designed the worlds first single board computer, the MOS KIM-1 and worlds first "real" computer the Commodore PET. He beat Apple by months!!! There is never a serious debate about these facts because they are incontravertable.

In this amazing 1977 Popular Science magazine the Apple does not even get a mention! http://www.commodore.ca/gallery/magazin ... oct_77.htm

Read our KIM 1 http://www.commodore.ca/products/kim1/mos_kim1.htm
and PET pages if you want the hard facts: http://www.commodore.ca/products/pet/commodore_pet.htm

This Apple revisionist crap is exactly the reason I started this site. Commodore died after its founder and visionary, Jack Tramiel left the company and so Apple and its neophite followers beleive they can re-write history time and time again.

[gklinger]

Uh, isn't this book written by Steve Wozniak, not Steve Jobs? Steve Wozniak designed the Apple I, the Apple ][ and a variety of other peripherals like the original Apple disk drive. Regardless, arguing who invented the personal computer is like arguing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. It's open to interpretation based on how one defines "personal computer". I suspect that Commodore's contribution is often marginalized because Commodore isn't around anymore. Out of sight, out of mind. It's sad but that's the way the world works.

If people are interested in the history of the personal computer they should read Fire in the Valley. It's a really good read and historically accurate.

[administrator]

Hi Golan;

Jobs... Woz... just a typo which I have corrected.

I agree that arguing who invented anything as influencial as the PC is futile. My point is simply that it can be clearly be demonstrated that Woz did NOT invent it.

[administrator]

The following is a typical response I have sent to several people who have emailed me about this book and claimed that others invented the Personal Computer in the early 1970's.

There are many who can legitimately claim that the PC was their concept. Even more can claim that they built the first computer. A set of boards and a few LED's may make a computer, but it does not make a Personal Computer. I beleive that Chuck Peddle developed and delivered the world's first production grade Personal Computer, the Commodore PET.

[gklinger]

Perhaps you should raise this issue with Steve Wozniak himself? You can send him email through his website and see what he says. I suspect the 'invented the personal computer' bit was dramatic license on the part of Gina Smith. I had an email exchange with The Woz a few years ago and he was modest, nice and down to Earth. I can't see him making such a claim.

Regardless, I can't disagree about Chuck Peddle and his PET beating Steve Wozniak and his Apple ][ to the punch. The KIM-1 vs. Apple I argument might be a little tougher to call though.