This is interesting, although probably not all that surprising. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has come out against the litany of patent suits between his former company and its rivals.
When Bloomberg asked him about the recent ruling that saw Apple awarded US$1-billion in damages against Samsung he told the financial publication that he hated it:
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“I don’t think the decision of California will hold. And I don’t agree with it — very small things I don’t really call that innovative. I wish everybody would just agree to exchange all the patents and everybody can build the best forms they want to use everybody’s technologies.”
That’s hardly surprising from a man who was at the forefront of the Homebrew Computer Club movement in the 1970s. Members of the hobbyist group generally helped each other out on projects, particularly in the early days.
Although he clearly thinks that things could be much better, the Woz is still clearly excited by what the top players in the smartphone space are doing. Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung all launched a top-end phone prior to the iPhone 5, with each trying to outdo the other.
He reckons the camera on the iPhone 5 for instance will be visibly clearer than those on his Galaxy S III:
“I am always excited about every iPhone product because there are always good advances,” he said.
“A better quality on the pictures will mean a lot, because when I show people pictures on my iPhone 4 and my Galaxy S III, they always say the Galaxy S III, or even the Motorola Razr, pictures look better.”
He did however caution that he would refrain from giving a full opinion on the phone until he actually got his hands on one:
“I think they took some very important steps,” he said. “I’d like to get a product, use it myself before I judge it and compare to others. I’d like to have it myself and tell what’s good and bad about it.”
