Steve Wozniak: iPhone's lack of change is what users want

Apple co-founder says stability is better than change, and everyone should give Tim Cook a chance

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has defended the company and its chief executive, saying that Apple's lack of innovation in the iPhone is good for users, and that critics need to give Tim Cook time to prove his worth at the helm of the company.

In a wide-ranging interview at the CeBIT technology show in Hanover, Germany, Wozniak was his usual ebullient self, and gave candid responses to a range of questions about Apple's current performance and future direction, as well as his reaction to the ongoing PRISM spying scandal.

On the subject of Apple, the interviewer asked whether the company had lost some of its shine recently, following the death of its iconic co-founder and chief executive Steve Jobs.

Wozniak replied that Apple is "still setting the tone" for the rest of the industry, and that the firm is largely responsible for the smartphone as we know it today.

Referring to a recent decline in Apple stock prices, Wozniak said this was something that only troubled shareholders, adding that this was normal in a highly competitive marketplace.

"We've had some stiff competition in the smartphone arena, so we had some catching up to do. When you are in the number one spot, it is very hard to hold on to it, because there are 10 other companies trying to push you out," he noted.

While the stock decline has led some analysts to call for Cook to resign, Wozniak had no truck with this suggestion.

"I don't agree. Cook has not been at the helm of Apple for long enough to really judge him. I don't know him that closely personally, but I'm willing to give him time," he said.

When asked about the lack of new innovations in the iPhone, Wozniak claimed that Apple products are already so good that it is difficult to improve on them, adding that many customers like stability.

"My favourite car has always been Mercedes, and they have stayed pretty much the same for years. I like that stability," he said.

"A lot of people do not like change, and the safest place is a smartphone that doesn't change too much too fast. Some friends of mine have recommended Android to me, but for the masses, stick with iPhone, it's the best choice for you," he commented.

As an aside, Wozniak chided the technology press for reporting him as being in favour of Apple releasing an Android-based smartphone.

"The press misquotes me all the time. I never said Apple should make an Android phone," he explained. Instead, he had said that Apple could make an Android device if it chose to, but there was no reason to do so.

On the subject of Apple's notoriously tight control over its platforms, Wozniak said that this is how the company can ensure a good user experience for its customers.

"The brand is partly about control of the user experience, and Apple's specialness of brand is how they protect their users," he explained. But he denied that Apple was not "open", saying: "We released iTunes for Windows - opening up that service - and sold to everyone in the world."

Wozniak also spoke out against the government spying scandal, which continues to cause repercussions around the world.

"I believe in the small guy, that the consumer needs protection, whether it is from a big company or from the government," he said. He also expressed his support for World Wide Web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee's proposals for an internet bill of rights.

Wozniak said that the big technology firms had failed to implement technology that could have guaranteed user privacy, such as making encryption a standard part of email using the widely available Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) technology.

"If Apple and Microsoft had decided to build PGP into the operating system, and key applications, every single email in the world would be encrypted today. Instead, every single message you send, you have no idea whether it is secure or not."

He added that the World Wide Web seemed to offer freedom and opportunities for everyone, because "anyone could get online and publish stuff", but lamented that now, however, "it's like the internet has given them [governments] the ability to control every bit of our lives".