Apple’s Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Really Wishes His iPhone Did All The Things His Android Does

(9:03 am PDT, Jan 17th 2012)

Apple’s Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Really Wishes His iPhone Did All The Things His Android Does

Steve Wozniak is a man who loves technology. He’s also a man who’s not afraid to tell it how it is. You’d expect a guy who co-founded Apple to be incessantly praising it while dismissing any advantages the competition may wield. Instead, he’s an open-minded guy who enjoys a variety of tech products, including Android. In fact, in an interview with the Daily Beast, Woz had much praise for the mobile OS that Steve Jobs was hellbent on destroying.

“My primary phone is the iPhone. I love the beauty of it. But I wish it did all the things my Android does, I really do.”

Woz had a lot to share regarding his experiences on both his iPhone and Android devices, and while the iPhone remains his primary phone, he admittedly wished it did all the things his Android does. One particular nuisance for him was Apple’s new voice-recognition software Siri. Woz has been very disappointed in Siri’s functionality ever since Apple bought Siri and built the software into the iPhone 4S.

“I used to ask Siri, ‘What are the five biggest lakes in California?’ and it would come back with the answer. Now it just misses. It gives me real estate listings. I used to ask, ‘What are the prime numbers greater than 87?’ and it would answer. Now instead of getting prime numbers, I get listings for prime rib, or prime real estate.”

He goes on to talk about how he gets better results when using Android’s voice recognition software:

“I’ll be saying, over and over again in my car, ‘Call the Lark Creek Steak House,’ and I can’t get it done. Then I pick up my Android, say the same thing, and it’s done.

While many Apple fans will be quick to argue that Siri is still in beta, it’s interesting to note that the majority of Google’s products are also in beta, including another favorite of the Woz’s (and one he admits is way ahead of Apple), Google Navigation.

He goes on to complain about a couple of other odd issues with his iPhone, and the one I found most surprising was that of battery life. Battery life has always been an advantage iOS has held above Android for quite some time, but it appears now that they are adding more features to their OS, it’s suffering the same battery drain as seen on Android devices.

“With the iPhone, something happened with the new OS or the new phone, and it just started running through the battery so fast,” he says. “I’ve had a lot of issues with things I have to turn off just to save the battery life.”

I have to admit, Steve has been quite the quote machine for us here today and before we go, I’ll leave you with one last Woz quote to sum up the majority of Android users’ perceptions of iOS and Apple products in general:

“The people I recommend the iPhone 4S for are the ones who are already in the Mac world, because it’s so compatible, and people who are just scared of computers altogether and don’t want to use them. The iPhone is the least frightening thing. For that kind of person who is scared of complexity, well, here’s a phone that is simple to use and does what you need it to do.”

Apps you might like

Comment »

  • http://www.facebook.com/xoleras Dimitris Theofilopoulos

    Apple freak here, but I rock a Samsung galaxy nexus.. sorry but Apple is getting further and further behind the curve.. I hope they got a lot of things under their sleeve because they are competing with the rest of the world and I have a feeling history will repeat it self and there is no Steve to get Apple back out of the hole…

  • ddevito

    Woz is my hero. I wish all the isheep would wake up and realize the truth.

    Thank you Woz, thank you.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dl-Betty/1671975345 Dl Betty

      I posted above, it worked for me, perhaps he needs to get a different phone. We have android, Microsoft, all typed in this devices and I hate seeing that anyone godforbid, has an Apple device and the hate pours out. Why? We are a  multi device user  home. Try it you just might like it!Oh and BTW when the other’s android phone’s batteries die, they  want to use my Iphone, ie, no problems

    • Anonymous

      Thank you. I love that phrase iSheep. I keep my eyes open and use both platforms to knowledgably compare.

      • Jdog25

        You are my hero. I now use the iPhone, Galaxy Nexus and a HTC Radar 4G(Windows Phone).

  • Anonymous

    It’s particularly interesting to see that the very things that iFans usually clamor about are the very issues seen by Woz on the iPhone. The biggest surprises for me was Siri and battery life. Siri is a surprise because as Woz said, it worked great as an app, and now that Apple bought it and integrated it, it’s much worse. Crazy. Particularly since so many iFans would harass me about how it’s so much better than Android’s system (which has been in play for many years now)…

    As for battery life, even I always thought the iPhone was the winner here. It’s funny to see that’s not the case… and worse yet, on a 3G phone!? Everyone complains about the Nexus battery life, but here Woz is saying that the 3G iPhone can’t keep up? Really? Wow.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m an Android owner, and I feel it’s a better system/device. But it’s funny to see that the very things iFans claim to have over Android are simply not true… it’s always nice to be told you’re right :)

    • http://twitter.com/mattack1 Matt Ackeret

      (I have not use Android..)  But their system does NOT do what Siri does.  I am NOT claiming that Siri now does the same it did when it was a separate app.. just that Siri and the Android voice recognition capabilities are far different.

      • http://twitter.com/mattack1 Matt Ackeret

        Argh, used, not use.

      • Anonymous

         Yes, the built in system doesn’t do EXACTLY what Siri does, but from the report above, it doesn’t matter, because it works. Fact is, both platforms have “natural language” voice search apps too, so that’s an irrelevant thing to argue. The point I, and Woz, were making was that the Android system works better and more reliably, even if it’s not in a natural language.

        Frankly, my opinion is that I could care less about natural language searching… if someone can’t be bothered to ask for a “weather report”, and instead insist on asking “What does today look like” then they are an idiot.

        In the end, Android has been doing this for quite some time, and is now working on integrating natural language searching. So, regardless of Siri, it’s clearly trivial to add this capability, if people insist on its presence. The key is, it needs to work properly… which Siri does not… and yet this is the big selling point on the 4S… hence my surprise.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dl-Betty/1671975345 Dl Betty

    Well maybe it’s his phone or phrasing, I just asked the questions that he said he asked and USED to be answered correctly, and I now know the 5 greatest Lakes in California even though I am on the East Coast and I had unlimited numbers greater than 877 etc. I have no battery problems, none, never did and hope I never will. Try again Steve, get your phone replaced perhaps?

  • Anonymous

    I’m glad that someone agrees with me on Siri.  I have used The big three (Microsoft, Google, Apple) voice actions/commands and I have regularly gotten disappointing results with Siri.  For some reason, Siri has a hard time understanding what I say.  But Microsoft and Google?  Most of the time it gets what I say. Siri may be flashy (the ability to talk back) but that’s completely useless if it can’t understand what you say.

    iPhone is no doubt one of the best phones out there, but it’s one of the best.  You have Android (and windows) handsets that are on par with the iPhone, if not better.

    If you are in a mac household, naturally a iPhone would be the best choice.  Android?  To fully appreciate android, you have to be a bit of a “nerd”.  But I would say Windows Phone is on par with iPhone for the people who are frighten of technology.  But then again “Windows” and frighten of technology dosen’t go hand and hand.

    That being said, it would be interesting to see what Woz has to say about Windows Phones.  I have to admit at first, I was wondering what the hell Microsoft is doing.  But after playing (heavily) with one of my friends windows phones, I am simply amazed by it. And most likely will be picking one up. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/ryansimmons323 Ryan Simmons

    As a Cult of Mac reader, Cult of Android really looks a hell of a lot better that Cult of Mac! It’s a lot cleaner, less cluttered and nicer to read. CoM needs a revamp!!

    • http://www.sk1wbw.wordpress.com Wayne Williams

      I wouldn’t know.  I’m not an Android user so I don’t go to Android websites.  But I’m sure all the Android uers are salivating over this article.  He still recommends the iPhone.

      • http://www.facebook.com/LouisValenti Louis Valenti

        Wayne…I’ve been reading Cult of Mac and Cult of Android for a long time now, and more so than anyone, it staggers me how much you comment just to hate on Android, regardless of points, good or bad, that are made in the article.

        Seriously man, grow up.  I’ve seen some hardcore Apple fanboys in my time, but you top the chart by a mile.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Alonso-Sosa/100001218113632 Alonso Sosa

    its cause steves dead
    he wouldn’t say that if he was alive

  • http://openid.aol.com/makesmelaughhard AppleKilledMobileFlash

    Fine.  He’s welcome to his own opinion.  Just make sure they never let him back into Apple because I don’t want to see iPhones turned into some Android fragmentation abomination.  You got to give something to get something else.  Steve is a techhead and Apple iPhones should not be made for tinkering techheads.

  • Anonymous

    Does Woz like the way it eats through batteries?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Luis-Dominguez/100000411307848 Luis Dominguez

    I had a Evo 3D before I bought the iPhone 4s and I have to agree with Woz that there is a lot of stuff in Android that would be awesome if Apple adopted.  The one thing I miss the most is google maps an navigation.  Nothing worked better the google maps nav, it was integrated so well into Android.  Clicking on a address on a website would launch you straight into maps and give you turn by turn directions.  I can not do that now without having to copy and paste text from the browser and stuff.  It was just really a convenient and reliable navigation.  The notification in IOS 5 was def borrowed from Android and it is working awesome in IOS.  

  • Dave

    If so, the iphone would be the same piece of junk that android is. Parity. I’d go back to a burner phone.

  • Anonymous

    Wow is the guy who didn’t want to make money selling the apple computers he was making. He was also the guy who always wanted to hack and put custom things onto boards. It makes sense that he would says this but what he’s saying isn’t right. I bought the galaxy nexus and I think it’s the worst phone I’ve ever used. From poor build to the most horrible battery life. I’m talking 4 hours tops with light use. I bet a lot of this was taken out of contex.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Luis-Dominguez/100000411307848 Luis Dominguez

      What everyone seems to forget is that his word is not God’s word.  Why is everyone trying to make excuses to what was said.  He likes Android for certain things and likes iOS for other things.  Maybe it was taken out of context but who cares. Woz will be Woz and you will be you.  If you prefer iOS that’s awesome.  This is the problem with people choosing one side over the other likes it’s religion.  You trie android and didn’t like it, maybe it’s not for you.  But to say you didn’t like Android because of one bad experience is kinda wrong.  I had a iPhone when it came out 5 years ago.  Loved it.  Tried Android after that with the G1 and fell in love too.  I just came back to iOS cause i wanted something different again.  Both have there good and there bads.  iOS is not the perfect UI neither is Android.  Point is, people need to stop freaking out about what was said.  It’s an opinion, and we are all entitled to one.  I am not trying to knock you either just happened to reply to your thread that’s all.

    • http://brainhog.blogspot.com/ Tom

      but you’re comparing iphone (phone + OS) to android (just OS). I agree completely, that phones with android are crap! But if someone would release an iPhone with android – I would buy it at once!

      • http://twitter.com/STRIPBLUNTS ANDRE SALAZAR

        It’s only January & you’ve already made the webs DUMBEST comment of the year! FAIL!

        • captaindash

          Yeah, compromise and pragmatism are totally like, the “DUMBEST” ‘n stuff.

  • http://www.facebook.com/AwesomeRobCSCS Rob Williams

    I will say, I’ve used an iPhone since the first one was released.  I don’t use it for the features, or the “fear” of using a complex OS (I built my first computer at 9 years old).  I buy Apple because the one-stop-shop and service they provide.  If I have a problem with a Samsung phone, I have to call them, send it back, or go into a carrier store and figure out how I am going to go about fixing what may be an obscure problem with the device or replacing it entirely.  I buy from Apple, they assess the phone, if it’s problematic, I walk out in 10 minutes with a new one in hand (from the start of my appointment time).  The phone’s great, and even better jailbroken, which puts it on par with Android in my opinion.  Apple’s greatest asset has been the service.

  • Bby Twitty

    Today on Cult of Android: Craps craps and more crappy craps. Lets go spam COM!
    Maybe theyll get so irritated and stop visiting COM and start coming to COA!!
    Whoop whoop! honk!

  • Chris Walters

    My 1st Android dated Siri’s Mom then kicked her back onto the streets, however obviously the birth control didn’t work. Look at the trouble Woz alone is having, let alone the millions of other “still trying to figure it out” iPhone users. It’s acting like a mixed breed leper colony. The only thing I do like about the iPhone is the speaker does rock and facetime is nice, and the fact it syncs well with other Apple things, which I do really admire. But, my HTC Sensation can do it all, except those things I like about the iPhone,but I’ve had 4G for 3 years now and everything is quick. I’ve got a tattoo of Google at the bottom of my feet, so I know I’ll always land where I want to be.

  • http://twitter.com/STRIPBLUNTS ANDRE SALAZAR

    Woz is still bitter that the Apple II was an overall flop & is the ONLY piece of technology he’s known for! On the other hand, his counterpart Steve Jobs, who had NO coding background, NO engineering background & NO development skills managed to create the world’s BEST OS, the BEST computers, the BEST mobile-devices & the BEST music player + music hub & store. Steve achieved all of this by believing that anything was possible, while Woz would’ve given everything away for free & would be BROKE right now without Steve Jobs foresight! Facts are facts! Woz is fat + lazy & can wheel himself around Cupertino & the rest of California, living off the value Steve Jobs created for Apple’s investors & employees (Woz is still employed by Apple & an initial stockholder). He’ll NEVER say that Android is better though, NEVER!!!

About the author

Vincent MessinaVincent Messina has been writing and evangelizing about Android for the past three years. When he's not playing the part of "Loki" to his 5 and 4-year-old, he can be found here, covering all things Android. He adamantly believes Android has the greatest community around and can be harassed at any of the following locations: Google+, Twitter.

email hidden; JavaScript is required| Read more posts by .

Posted in Android, Hardware, News, Software, Top stories | Tagged: , , , , |


scribol