This is the body blow that Ashton Kutcher, and anyone else involved in the new ‘jOBS’ film didn’t want. Steve Wozniak commented on Gizmodo and criticized the one minute scene that was released yesterday, saying that it was ‘totally wrong’ and that he was ’embarassed’ by the film.
As if enough people weren’t already sceptical about the film, this will turn even more against it, including me. The Woz that’s painted in the film, somebody that’s shown as just messing around and not entirely sure what his inventions would do couldn’t be more inaccurate compared to how he described the events and his opinion in his biography, iWoz (I just finished reading it, I highly recommend it).
Woz:
Not close…we never had such interaction and roles…I’m not even sure what it’s getting at…personalities are very wrong although mine is closer…don’t forget that my purpose was inspired by the values of the Homebrew Computer Club along with ideas of the value of such machines and Steve J. wasn’t around and didn’t attend the club so he was the one learning about such social impact of the future.
He followed this up with an email to Gizmodo:
Totally wrong. Personalities and where the ideas of computers affecting society did not come from Jobs. They inspired me and were widely spoken at the Homebrew Computer Club. Steve came back from Oregon and came to a club meeting and didn’t start talking about this great social impact. His idea was to make a $20 PC board and sell it for $40 to help people at the club build the computer I’d given away. Steve came from selling surplus parts at HalTed he always saw a way to make a quick buck off my designs (this was the 5th time).
The lofty talk came much further down the line.
I never looked like a professional. We were both kids. Our relationship was so different than what was portrayed. I’m embarrassed but if the movie is fun and entertaining, all the better. Anyone who reads my book iWoz can get a clearer picture.
Whether it’s good cinema or not, I like my non-fiction films to be accurate, and this one clearly isn’t if the core relationship of the film (and Apple’s history) is wrong. I’ll be giving it a miss.
