Apple Founder Inventor Steve Wozniak: Why I Love My Windows Phone 7.5 Mango

by Gina Smith
2 min read
Written by Gina Smith

Steve Wozniak tells Gina Smith, Todd Moore and Dan Patterson why he thinks the latest Windows 7 Mango makes his Nokia Lumia smartphone “beautiful and amazingly designed.” Here are some of the behind-the-scenes photos we shot. It’s anewdomain!

aNewDomain.net — Our +Dan Patterson, +Todd Moore and +Gina Smith caught up with Gina’s co-author and friend Steve Wozniak, who invented Apple technology and co-founded Apple with the late Steve Jobs. It’s noisy in the sandwich shop — but this podcast is a fun conversation with Wozniak over why he thinks the Windows Phone 7 UI is just the bee’s knees.

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Steve Wozniak shows us that he carries two Apple iPhones (both 4S), a Motorola DROID RAZR and, to our surprise at the time, a Nokia Lumia. It was a Lumia smartphone running Microsoft Windows 7.5 Mango.

My co-host +Dan Patterson asks Steve why his favorite phone — of a dozen models with Android or iOS — is the one with Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

Steve chose the Windows 7.5 Mango phone because he loves the interface. Today Steve told us that even though that smartphone’s hardware specs are impressive — and its camera is hobbled — the phone runs best, fastest and and most reliably.

This podcast is at our lunch while Steve laid his four phones down for us. The Windows 7 phone is his favorite of the four. He said it was no contest.

Photo credit: Gina Smith

Steve was probably carrying two pounds of products, cords, electrical gadgets and parts : ).

So, why aren’t more people talking about Windows Phone? Our own Ant Pruitt has a theory about this.

(Disclosure: aNewDomain.net editorial director Gina Smith co-wrote The New York Times bestselling iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Doing it (2005). Smith directly profits from sales of this book in paper and eform.)

Steve Wozniak

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80 Comments

  • Such a cool interview. Mr. Wozniak is such a class act. I love his honesty about the different products available today. I love even more how he’s just a “big kid” with his toys and he truly enjoys being a big kid with toys. A brilliant man.
    Loving the book iWoz, btw.

    -RAP, II

  • Wrong. iPhone is my favorite phone. I did give my opinion that the Windows 7P phone had superior visual appearance and operation cues that were also more attractive. In my opinion, it sets the mark for user interface. I would recommend it over my Android phones given that it doesn’t yet have the breadth of apps. I surmise that Microsoft hired someone from Apple and put money into having a role in the UI and appearance of some key apps. I also surmised that Steve Jobs might have been reincarnated at MS due to a lot of what I see and feel with this phone making me think of a lot of great Apple things.

    • Hmm… Droid Razr, has the Woz had any play time with Ice Cream Sandwich yet? Say with something like the Galaxy Nexus? I would be curious to hear his thought on it. :-)

    • Personally, I see Mango and iOS as two completely different operating systems. I own great devices with both operating systems and I don’t see myself doing beautiful Keynotes on Mango, but I’ve created some stunning ones on my iPhone, and it was just easy. But I love how something can be this simple and stylish. I’ve seen how some people are completely clueless when it comes to personal computers, even tho they’re such a huge part of their lives. I mean these people use it everyday, yet they have problems setting up e-mail clients and they just give up when if they have to set it up manually, where to me, that’s like cutting bread. It’s just something that comes naturally, I don’t need an explanation on how to do it. An example could be, the Macintosh. Flip the switch, insert disc and you have some folders on the screen and you can bring down a list of apps from the upper left corner and you get different options in the same place for different apps, and it’s just so simple. I mean I love these tiles on Mango, tho I haven’t found much use of it as for information, but it’s more of an OS wide links to -almost- everything. I’m going out at night and I need to call my mom at 10 PM, so I make a notification, create a quick StickyTile and pin her contact. I’ll be reminded and I can move the 2 tiles to the top, next to each other. It’s so simple it’s breathtaking.

    • Woz, you do know that Metro has been around since 2009, right? The Zune HD. While very few every bought the thing, Metro did originate from the Zune HD, it has simply evolved since then.

  • Loving the iWoz book too. Its so honest and real like you. Thanks for sharing the real Steve with us Gina. Great how he always goes with what’s “right” and follows his passions. Its evident he has a passion for the Windows 7P phone but no doubt, the iPhone is the one and only love of his.

  • First I have to say thanks to Steve Wozniak and his generation for bringing us to where we are today in the computer industry. Steve has so much class and a true genuine passion for technology that everyone in the industry should emulate.

    I am a huge fan of Windows Phone for many of the reasons Steve explained and just wanted to tell him if he isn’t aware yet that you can issue voice commands and do voice searches on the Nokia Lumia by holding down the Windows button. The messaging app also has a microphone button that allows you to dictate messages. You can set the phone to read your incoming text messages to you over bluetooth or a headset. In fact you can easily have a text message conversation on the phone without ever looking at the device.

  • @Steve Wozniak

    Was this is your first time trying WP?

    What should Microsoft, Nokia do for the Windows Phone 8 so you would actually pick WP8 over the iPhone?

  • I replaced an iPhone with a Lumia 900 and I agree 100% – this phone’s user-experience is just superb. It is beautiful, it is fast, it is intuitive.

    The animations are superb, it is easy to get to applications, the contracts that allow apps to consume data created by other apps without knowing a thing about these apps is great.

    • Hey Ron,
      I’d love to get more thoughts from you and our other Windows Phone readers. Can we connect on Google Plus? Or can you email me at @ant@anewdomain.net to discuss?

      Thnx!

      -RAP, II

    • Apple iPhones suck! Yup there’s no contest on that hahaha iPhone can’t even send multiple pictures which is a joke phone. We all know Wozniak prefers windows phone over iPhone hahaha he finally leaving the iPhone dark side of the force and entering the windows Jedi master. LoL..

      Can’t wait when windows phone 8 comes…

    • Lol he jealous because he knows and Steve jobs knew it that windows phone is back and twice better. Thanks to Microsoft design team for having a smartphone that just works great and great design. Apple or android could not have thought of.
      Shows you why lumia 900 sold over 3 million the first day it launched.p

  • […] I wish more people who work or have worked for large technology companies were as open, honest, and excited as Steve Wozniak still gets over new technology and gadgets. He recently bought a Nokia Lumia 900 – and he’s loving it. So much so, in fact, that he claims it’s better than Android and iOS in many respects. […]

  • I am glad I never gotten an iPhone or android these 2 phones are just all hype and boring has look at there boring dead icons that sits there doing nothing. Great about windows phone is there live tiles apps which gives u updated info. Also do you know you can’t send multiple pictures using iPhone hahhahah yup windows can do the job. Shows why windows phone is back and better than ever. Just look at the user interface so awesome! It surely is more modern looking now of mobile technology.

    Apple or android maybe get some advise of how to make your user interface look better.

    Also ck out this video I saw how windows phone 7.5 can do great things iPhone or android can’t do.
    YouTube.com/thewebmogul

  • Thanks Steve, for a very rousing impromptu interview. I’ve been with WP7 since the begiinning. I’ve just replaced my launch Dell Venue Pro with a white Lumia 900 the day they became available. I have to say, I loved Windows Phone before, but now, the experience is amazing!

    I’ll admit Microsoft still has work to do, but things as they are now are simply wonderful! And it’s very exciting to think of how they might make this near-perfect experience even better in the future! A lot of people (especially Android fans) are jaded and they don’t know what they’re missing. It’s awesome that WP7 runs smoother and faster on a single-core than Android on its venerated dual-core platform. If somebody were to put a gun to my head and tell me to switch platforms, yeah I’d choose iPhone every time. But I’d miss my little Xbox Phone, hehe. It’s encouraging that you shared your positive experiences. Now you know what us WP7heads know! :) Hopefully others will be encouraged to give it a try based on your opinions!

    A note about the speech feature, I think you have to enable some of the more advanced features in Settings, specifically the Speech settings. Just enable every option in there. Sure, you still won’t be able to ask it how it’s doing or whatever ike you can with Siri. But you can ask it who the 1st king of England was and get a related search. Plus it’s cool to hold down the ‘Win’ Key and say something like “Text Tony” and be able to dictate and send your message, and be able to reply as such without ever needing to touch your phone. Just sayin!

  • Certainly some food for thought here. It’s also so great that Woz is willing to look at all things and then speak on what he likes/dislikes. He truly is interested in just who is doing awesome now and how they do it. Great stuff!

  • great about windows phone it is fast & fluid and don’t really need dual core. Besides dual core eats up battery life. Also another reason why windows phone 7.5 OS is so better than IOS or android is because I have not even restarted my windows phone 7.5 for over a month now :-) now that shows you what a real smartphone should be. Most my friends who have an iPhone or android once or even twice have restarted there phone during the weeks. Shows you how there OS totally fails….

      • IPhone which you can’t send multiple pictures which no one ever knew iPhone can’t do that. Windows phone wins again. :-P

      • If you say no one ever knew WP 7.5 tell that to the 3 million nokia lumia 900 sold on first day launch :-P yup people have known about it since last year. Typical apple troll who’s jealous that Steve loves WP 7.5

        • Ha! Yep. 3million sold is big. I agree. I bet two million of them were in Seattle. (i kid) I just laugh about this because everywhere I look, I see an ad for “Droid” or “why limit your iPhone”. I seriously had to FIND a WP7*. Just seems like MS is missing out on mainstream love in my opinion. ;)

          Thnx for your comment, Steve J!

          -RAP, II

  • Strange. I had iphones, Lumia 800 and after I bought 4s 64. 
    iPhone is like my best friend, there is always. 
    Every day I want replace my 12″ Thinkpad whit MacBook 11″ but every day I think that my iPhone is the best computer in the world. I do not use much anymore it, is summer.
    II don’t know what to do whit your smartphone. 
    When you are  in the car on night taste the automatic luminosity and the different philosophy. 
    iOS and IPhone4s is the best iPhone ever. Simply. Use it and have fun. 
    When you have an idea can you taste the App Store, use Safari Mobile, work whit Retina and only and unique button, not three. 
    I have most happy when I bought my Lumia: Wow, I can use Zune, Visual Studio and I don’t follow the mass. Experience. 
    Sorry, use it a few months and surely you back to iPhone. 
    I use my iPhone like a DuPont lighter. 
    Symply, is symply an iPhone, really life is over.
    Perfection does not exist, in fact, Steve die.  

    • Do you think his personality would work for that? I can see Mr. Wozniak discussing the guts of the new product as detailed as pin placement on the mobo, because he’s an ENGINEER at heart. Geeks like us would love it.

      -RAP, II

  • S. Wozniak should have a more prominent role at Apple, at least he could turn the presentation of new products into a captivating show again. We can feel he has the same enthusiasm for its products that sj had, and probably the same perfectionism too if given the chance.

    • Do you think his personality would work for that? I can see Mr. Wozniak discussing the guts of the new product as detailed as pin placement on the mobo, because he’s an ENGINEER at heart. Geeks like us would love it.

      -RAP, II

  • Woz is a true to heart techy and not a fanboy. WP7 is easily the slickest device in the market. Lumia is the best hardware that it is housed in, at the moment, I am sure that there will be more impressive hardware coming up that will house the Mango OS, and make it even more appealing.

    Android is a great cult, but is utter crap (relative to the publicity stunt it gets).

  • I wouldn’t have believed this to happen a month or two ago, but now i find that my iphone has been staying untouched for a week after getting the Lumia 900, which really feels great. Things are now just more intuitive and fun to do, plus i love always to experience sthg new …iphones ‘dead’ icons just seem so yesterday now.

  • I’ve had the Samsung Focus since November; which is my first smartphone. There are so many slick features to the OS that I pretty much find something new everytime I use it. Social media integration is amazing. I didn’t even bother to install the facebook app. Just create people groups and pin them to the surface to see what’s going on at a glance. Don’t worry too much about lack of apps. All the major ones have been ported or even better they are part of the OS. There are on average 300 new apps per day added to the market, I’ve had time to look at maybe 50 total.

  • I am very impressed with the transparency, honesty as well the open-mindedness of Steve Wozniak. I owned switched from an IPhone to Window’s Phone and would never go back to Iphone if I was given one for free. (Though, I might take it and sell it. LOL!) I had issues from the very start with my IPhone, i.e. dropped calls, freeze issues, etc. What put the nail in the coffin for my IPhone was the “grey bars of death” to the screen. It was then that I decided to try the WP7. I’ll be honest, it took time to get used to the major differences between IOS and WP7, but the learning curve was short. I now have upgraded to the Lumia 900 from the HTC Surround and it is absolutely incredible. I love the sleek uni-body design and the black amoled screen.(which makes the tiles literally pop out at you) I grow so tired of IPhone users who say that the Metro UI is boring. Unless one actually has and uses the Window’s phone (rather than look at static images on a blog), you never see the beauty of live tiles. Windows Phone certainly doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

  • I would not put too much stock in what “Woz” is saying. Afterall, he is Apple. When iPhone 5 comes out, he will point to the Windows phone and say something like “Yes, the Lumia did that, but now look at what the iPhone5 can do.” Also, Android is Apple’s biggest competitor. He would rather promote the Windows phone over his main competitor. However, I do agree with him–the Lumia 900 is a fantastic phone. So glad I chose it over the iPhone 4s. Definitely did not want an Android–had more than my fill of them. Never used an iPhone, but they now appear so bland next to the Lumia 900. No excitement there. And the best part of the Lumia 900 is that it is simple, functional, works sooo well, and is still flashy and beautiful. I am very pleased with this phone.

    • Thanks for your comment, Rita!

      I like how he (Woz) specifically pointed out the UI. When asked about the guts of the phone, he went mum. He’s an engineer and uber-geek at heart. I think that’s what matters to him, not always all about the brand. Why else would he carry all three OS’s in his pocket?

      my two pennies

      -RAP, II

  • Finally we are witnessing the comeback of windows. Windows Phone, Surface Tablet, Windows 8..

  • You hold the Windows button to search via voice; and there’s a microphone “button” on the edge of the screen while texting, next to the “send” and “attach” ones.

  • The Windows phones are great with the programmed back door to the NSA in case your car breaks down. What? Did you just think they were there to spy on you?