Hey Apple, Pick Woz Up for Our Sake

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As the Apple I computer turns 35, Steve Wozniak seems willing to return to the company he co-founded.

Wozniak is still on the Apple payroll, even though he hasn’t worked at the company since 1987. Asked by Reuters whether he’d play a more active role at Apple if asked today, Wozniak responded, “I’d consider it, yeah.”

But Wozniak’s views on technology don’t mix with the company that Apple has become. He’s a tinkerer, whereas Apple’s products favor simplicity over customization. Most notably, Apple keeps tight control over the iOS App Store, and fought unsuccessfully to make iPhone jailbreaking a crime.

“”My thinking is that Apple could be more open and not lose sales,” Wozniak said. He added: “I’m sure they’re making the right decisions for the right reasons for Apple.”

Perhaps. But maybe Apple could use a bit of Woz — someone who understands the company, but could come up with ideas on how to give users more control over their iDevices. It seems like Wozniak already has some ideas on how to improve Apple products. “There’s just an awful lot I know about Apple products and competing products that has some relevance, some meaning,” he told Reuters. “They’re my own feelings, though.”

Yeah, something tells me Woz won’t be coming back.