February 18, 2002: Woz Gets What Is Coming to Him

If the Apple I was a revolutionary product, it was a revolution that many people didn't want. The reasons were apparent: the Apple was little more than a glorified kit computer and a large amount of additional hardware was needed, the power supply was absentto cite one crucial component.

The need for a serious out of-the-box solution was clear, and Steve Wozniak began refining the original design. The end product was a prime example of Woz's engineering genius and the Steves began to feel as though they had a huge hit on their hands. Their intuition was correct. The Apple II outsold rival PC clones for the first five years of production and outsold the Mac until 1987. In the end, Woz's brilliant design sold over 4.5 million Apple II computers.

For his work on the Apple II, Woz has received a plethora of honors but the most prestigious might have come when Woz was inducted into the exclusive National Academy of Engineering this month in 2002.