Slashdot decided to invite Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak for an interview. In the answers to the questions of publication, Wozniak addressed themes of openness of modern systems, jailbreak and tried to predict the future of Apple. Not without comparing iOS and Android. You will read about his thoughts regarding Apple patent war against other IT and electronic giants but first let's see the Steve Wozniak quote about iOS and Android security and rivalry.

Apple and Android

First Steve was asked about how he now refers to Apple and its current policy. As usual Wozniak answer was contradictory:

I always think first and foremost as a technology consumer and lover. Like all of us who appreciate the quality of Apple products, I have mixed feelings. I grew up with core values of openness and sharing of technology. When I ran dial-a-joke it was illegal to own, use or purchase your own telephone or answering machine. You couldn’t connect anything to the phone jack except that which you leased from AT&T. You had little choice and there was no room for outside innovators. We techies all said this was a bad thing. You probably see the parallel. Let’s look at Apple. Apple’s real rise from the small market-share Macintosh company to the iProducts of today began with iTunes and the iPod. This turned out to be a 2nd huge business which roughly doubled Apple’s ‘size’. If you remember, we ported iTunes to Windows. We now addressed 100% of the world’s market with this integrated system (iPod/iTunes) and it began the era of Apple that we are now in. So why don’t we port iTunes to Android? Did something get closed up? I love Apple products and iTunes and wish it were on my Android products too.

Steve Wozniak thoughts about porting iTunes to Android look interesting. I'm sure many Android smartphone users would like to get access to the content, which is now exclusive to the iOS devices. However, this hardly ever happens. Apple ported iTunes to Windows, but it was a forced move, given the popularity of desktop computers. Cupertino company considers Android as the main enemy, and that is not as binding platform as it was with Windows.

The Future of Apple

Despite the secret Apple policy the company continues to thrive. And the secret is in the right financial management. And the company has no equal:

As an Apple shareholder, what matters is not sales or market share. It’s profitability. Apple seems to stand alone in profit market-share. So the course they are taking is a good one. It’s hard to guess whether profits would be greater or lesser under hypothetical scenarios.

Steve appreciates the Apple's contribution in the mobile industry in general:

The app store has changed our lives. We depend on Apple leadership. Most of the software I feel is in apps. You speak of iOS becoming less relevant as though other platforms are as good but I think of it more in terms of the fact that for all major platforms, there are more than enough apps and they are generally the same quality on each platform. It’s better to think constructively about what can be done with our mobile platforms to improve our lives more, rather than trying to throw darts and insults.

What does Steve Wozniak Think About Open or Closed Apple Policy?

When Woz was asked directly about the confrontation of open and closed platforms, Steve expectedly chose the second. Also Steve Wozniak praised jailbreak community for their job:

There is no one right opinion. I’m for more openness. I believe that you can create the best most innovative products even when they are open. But I could be wrong. Open products tend to seem more complex. I suggest that maybe 80% of us or more are technophobes and scared to admit how little we know. I’m thinking of our moms and dads a lot in this thought. Apple is the safest haven for them not to get confused. So much of me lies in the Linux and open source thinking. It’s where I’d be if I were young and finding my technology way. Some say that Apple iPhones are closed but there is a different view. They are closed as to methods of sale and delivery. You can create any app you want to and have the ability to on your own on the iPhone. You just can’t distribute it to huge numbers of people outside the app store of Apple. So young developers are not hindered totally. Yeah, on Android you can do anything for fun and announce it to the whole world and that’s very motivating. So keep it up. I have always given my support to the jailbreak community because they remind me of myself when I met Steve Jobs and how we were, then and for the years leading to Apple.

As for Steve Jobs and the company's future without him, Wozniak wisely replied that nothing terrible will happen with Apple after the absence of its founder and the permanent CEO. More Steve Wozniak quotes from the interview you can find here. Also you can ask your question to him. I'm sure that there won't be Apple without Woz. It is not a secret that Wozniak is a technical genius and Jobs was a generator of ideas and knew how to sell them. Leave your thought in the comment form below about Steve Wozniak interview and his contribution to the development of the company.