Co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak chooses the Lumia 900 over Android, calls Windows Phone "intuitive and beautiful"

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak, calls Windows Phone "Intuitive and beautiful"

We reported recently that co-founder of Apple and all around cool geek Steve Wozniak was looking to purchase a Nokia Lumia 900 (WPCentral review) The info came via his Twitter feed where he posted from Foursquare. At the time, he was waiting for the AT&T store to open to check out the flagship Windows Phone.

Since then, we haven't heard much. In fact, there was no confirmation that he had even purchased the device but as it turns out, he did and what's more, he loves it. Over at  aNewDomain.net, Dan Patterson, Todd Moore and Gina Smith not only caught up with "the Woz" but got him on tape talking about his experience with Windows Phone and the Lumia 900.

The Report: Tech News and Geek Culture, EP 002 - Steve Wozniak Interview by KoPoint

As it turns out, he carries around multiple Android phones and a couple of iPhones too and while he still ultimately prefers the iPhone (due to all the apps), he had nothing but praise for the Windows Phone OS and the Lumia 900. Here are a few choice quotes:

"Just for looks and beauty I definitely favor the Windows Phone over Android""....I'm just shocked, I haven't seen anything yet that isn't more beautiful than the other platforms""Intuitive and beautiful""it's makes me feel 'Oh my gosh, I'm with a friend not a tool'" (In regards to the animations and graphics)"I just really like the experience and will be carrying the Windows Phone everywhere"He also notes how apps look just "more beautiful than on Android or iPhone"

In short, the Woz is really enamored with the esthetics of the phone, the ease of use and just how the OS pops and slides everywhere. It's a strong endorsement although he does have the usual complaints including how you can't do speech-to-text everywhere like on iPhone or Android or the lack of a Siri-like tool for asking questions (although we have AskZiggy).

The Woz also still defaults to his iPhone but as you can hear in the audio above, the Lumia 900 will be going everywhere with him, which is more than he can say for Android.

It sounds like Microsoft and Nokia may have just received their next big endorsement. While there is still much work to do for the OS and on our hardware, we may have just scored one of the most symbolic victories in quite some time.

Update: Steve Wozniak responded in comments on aNewDomain to clarify a few things. It's a little hilarious too.

"Wrong. iPhone is my favorite phone. I did give my opinion that the Windows 7 phone had superior visual appearance and operation cues that were also more attractive. In my opinion, it sets the mark for user interface. I would recommend it over my Android phones given that it doesn’t yet have the breadth of apps. I surmise that Microsoft hired someone from Apple and put money into having a role in the UI and appearance of some key apps. I also surmised that Steve Jobs might have been reincarnated at MS due to a lot of what I see and feel with this phone making me think of a lot of great Apple things."

Source: The Report at aNewDomain.net; Thanks, jedi12, for the tip and Vygantas, for the new quote

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been here covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics and ran the projectors at movie theaters, which has done absolutely nothing for his career.

63 Comments
  • Way to turn to the right side, Woz!!
  • I am happy to find this post Very useful for me, as it contains lot of information. I Always prefer to read The Quality and glad I found this thing in you post. Thanks
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  • I wasnt expecting that. Changing my mind about this guy.
  • So your oppinion was not that he is one of the greatest geek heroes and funniest guys ever?
  • The Woz is cool no matter what smartphone platform he uses. I wish I had the opportunity to work with him. ...but he should make WP his favorite ;-)
  • I've always liked Woz. Jobs was nothing but a marketing prick, but Woz was the real brains behind the engineering. The true "geek" of the two co-founders as it were.
     
    I absolutely loathe and detest Apple products, but I still like Woz.
  • "I absolutely loathe and detest Apple products, but I still like Woz."
     
    What a stupid comment.
  • Not at all.
     
    Apple products suck. But Wozniak is always empirical in his judgement on things technological. The company he was ousted from though? Nah, their products are dreadful. Utterly dreadful.
  • Now this guy knows what's up. The world is begining to take notice, thanks to the Nokia Lumia 900. The most elegant mobile OS is begining to shine. Go WP7
  • Wrong don't thank nokia for this. The one that we all should thank is Microsoft design team who are the one with the great OS design ideas making it look different UI. It it was not for Microsoft to help struggling nokia they will not be were there momentum is again. Also it great windows phone killed BlackBerry phone off the market has I always hated BlackBerry phones. Those who still use it are either a woman or gay lol...
  • Death to Android
  • Lol its better if they are around. Competition buddy, its good for all of us.
  • Agree, I wouldn't want to see Android die, I'd like to see them have to compete on actual innovation. That's why a three-horse race should be encouraged.
  • I have a feeling the verge writers, except for Tom Warren, will find a way to twist this story negatively lol On topic: that's great news and his reason for sticking with his iPhone is justified. No one can deny apple's app store is good. I'm confident that the WP marketplace will improve greatly due to the success of the Nokia Lumia series
  • The Woz is swell and all. Now we need to get an endorsement by The Fonz! Ayyyyyyyyyyy!
  • Oh happy days lol
  • Yeah!
  • The Fonz jumped the shark long ago.
  • Yeah, we don't need Fonzy jinxing WP, LOL!
  • WP will be fine, not because the woz loves it or thinks it's better than android (which it is) but because people will see it more. As you see things more frequently the more it is normal and accepted. It is cool that he picked one up tho. He knows his tech stuff for sure and him recognizing the lumia as a great phone and WP as a great os will go a long way.
  • YEAHHHHH! Exactly what I've been saying to people all the time, except an all-time great is backing me up now!
  • Woz got class for being neutral, and honest even though he's the co-founder of Apple.
  • More class than Jobs.
  • I'm dying to know Woz's Xbox Live gamertag.
  • Hey Woz, tell us something we don't know!
  • i wonder whats the bet...lol
  • Who is Wozniak?
  • Most people would infer from the headline of this article that he was the co-founder of Apple. Just a hunch ;-)
  • The Woz was the hardware guru, the creator of the first Apple computer. He is a smart and well respected tech geek.
  • Stop whatever you are doing now and go watch The Pirates of Silicon Valley. While the movie is not a documentary it has enough historical accuracy and conveys the spirit of the eartly tech entrepreneurs
  • This level of praise is amazing:
     
    "I also surmised that Steve Jobs might have been reincarnated at MS due to a lot of what I see and feel with this phone making me think of a lot of great Apple things."
     
    This is the man who co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs and created the personal computer industry and he is saying the spirit of Steve Jobs is at Microsoft. The Windows Phone design team has to feel on top of the world today. After all these years of Microsoft taking lumps from Apple to get the highest of all praise on design and user interface from Apple employee #1.
  • I have a problem with the Jobs reincarnation part because WP was out before Jobs died ;-)
  • Great post. Wozz is awesome and most of what he said is spot on. I might even consider iPhone the best platform overall but I still refuse to buy into the apple ecosystem. WP by far is the most beautiful of the platforms from an esthetics standpoint. Once the marketplace is more robust its only major weakness will be gone.
  • It's not that the Woz is an all important endoresment, it's just that he's another good data point. Definitely I think he represents a lot more open-minded users then somebody like John Gruber.
  • It would be a lot more fun if Steve Jobs chooses WP over any phones
  • That might be difficult... No cell signal in the afterlife.
  • He's holding it wrong.
  • Lol
  • HAHAHA
  • THIS makes me happy! :D
  • So its finally here. Metro UI didn't had much chance back when it wad within Zune, Jobs as the reigning hipster and iPod being the ultimate tech. Now, I'm glad it's getting the notice it deserves.
  • Wow.!
  • Now I know Woz is full of shit... Because if he was going to be totally honest about it, he'd say he would choose ot over the iPhone also, if he wasn't receiving 7 digit checks from them.
  • He actually did say the look and intuitiveness of WP7 Metro UI is superior to what Apple offers. Just that iPhone is his choice due to ecosystem. Nothing wrong with that position. It means once Windows market gets on par...WP is best choice...though am sure his loyalty to Apple may always override that. Bodes well for Windows 8 as well as it will clearly be the greatest computer OS on the planet in all regards.
  • If you listen to the audio he does say that Windows Phone's UI is more beautiful and intutitive than iPhone. He says that the iPhone apps and UI are awkward by comparison to Windows Phone. He says iPhone is still his main phone due to the app ecosystem and Siri though.
  • Everyone calm down. It was meant as sarcasm. Obviously a failed attempt at sarcasm, but sarcasm none the less.
  • Glad to see him warm up to the phone.  It means a lot to us who have been saying that ALL along.  Thanks, Woz!
  • Maybe it's just me, but that last bit seemed more than a little smug.
  • To me, the comment about Steve Jobs working at MS feels like a sleight against MS. He's implying that MS is thinking more like Apple and that's what is making the innovative. MS is going their own way. And while it's lagging in apps now, the OS is far superior.
  •  see the Verge picked this up.....it must pain them.
  • The Verge: "Apple Co-Founder must be off his rocker, says 'I like Windows Phone'. " 
     
    Thats the only headline I could see them giving...
  • Its an impressive feather in WP's cap. Marred a bit by his nonsense about Steve Jobs. I can't quite tell if he's trying to be complimentary or its a dig. For my money, his statement that the User Interface is superior to iOS puts the lie to any idea that it was inspired by anything Jobs did. :-)
  • I don't think that was a dig. Even if you take that as Microsoft has finally learned design from Apple, he's saying that Microsoft is carrying Steve Job's torch forward with WP7 moreso than Apple or Google are.
     
    I doubt there is anyone in the tech industry that Steve Wozniak respected more than Steve Jobs and for him to say his spirit of design is at Microsoft is incredibly high praise.
  • This is good to hear. Anytime an Apple fan wants to know if WP is good I'll show them this.
  • Steve Wozniak is a JERK! 
    Am I the only one that thinks that?  Everything was cool until his comment, "I surmise that Microsoft hired someone from Apple and put money into having a role in the UI and appearance of some key apps." 
    What the heck man??  The world of design doesn't revolve around Apple. 
    I haven't seen Apple do something as gorgeous as metro, ever. 
     
  • Perhaps I am a bit harsh, but he took a dig at Microsoft while supposedly giving a compliment.  God forbid he straight-out admit that Microsoft did something great and original with Windows Phone. 
     
    He's an alright guy and I guess Microsoft should be flattered he said anything positive at all.
  • Yeah, that was kind of lame to infer (jokingly or not) that Microsoft couldn't come up with something good on their own.
  • Yes, Woz, only Apple is capable of being creative when it comes to the UI. MS probably didn't hire someone from Apple just because of statements like that arising.
  • Woz was always the better Steve at Apple. Apple would not have been as successful as it has been without the manic, meglomaniac, cheap ass bastard that was Jobs but Woz was the reason the place had any humanity to it at all. Jobs could never bring himself to offer praise of any kind to any competitor, but that was never an afflication that Woz shared.
    I have always liked Woz but I haven't been a fan of his company or its products. This is surely the first time he and I have ever used the same piece of technology.
  • Don't take anything Woz says seriously.  Give him 5 minutes and he'll either change his mind or contradict himself.  He is what happens when you have endless cash and too much attention.  I respect his background, but he's not in the game anymore.  He's a relic of the past.
  • The Wonderful Wizard of Woz has spoken...
  • Is it me or does it seems like the host feelings were hurt, lol.
  • Hahaha love it wondering if all apple trolls are getting mad now or jealous. Seems like every blog no apple trolls have nothing to say about this hahahha yup woz has left the dark side of the force and now wants be Jedi master of windows phone hahahaha Also funny part I walk into apple store and have my windows phone on my hand and I should say woz loves windows phone LOL....wonder if the genius salespeople will figure it out (genius I don't Think salespeople are). :-)