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Apple’s Co-founder Wozniak Honored With an Award of President of Armenia, Armenian Geeks – a Meeting With a Legend

The date 11/11/11, which was waited for with breath-hold in many countries of the world, in Armenia was marked with a meeting with the legendary creator of the first personal computer and co-founder of Apple Company – Steve Wozniak. Wozniak received the annual Global Award of the President of the Republic of Armenia for Outstanding Contribution to Humanity Through IT. The award was granted for the second time. Last year it was awarded to Intel Chairman Craig Barrett.

During the two-day visit to Yerevan, Wozniak met with the President and Prime Minister of Armenia, as well as with IT sector representatives, students of the Yerevan State University of Architecture and visited the memorial to Armenian Genocide victims.

“Whatever you do, you should enjoy your job,” this simple phrase could become a slogan of the meeting held in Yerevan, November 11, between one of the gurus in the world of technology and the Armenian youth. In the crowded hall of the “Marriott Armenia” both students and IT experts were interested in the history of the well-known Apple Company, Wozniak’s life experience, as well as in the cooperation between him and his namesake – Steve Jobs.

The date 11/11/11, which was waited for with breath-hold in many countries of the world, in Armenia was marked with a meeting with the legendary creator of the first personal computer and co-founder of Apple Company – Steve Wozniak. Wozniak received the annual Global Award of the President of the Republic of Armenia for Outstanding Contribution to Humanity Through IT. The award was granted for the second time. Last year it was awarded to Intel Chairman Craig Barrett.

During the two-day visit to Yerevan, Wozniak met with the President and Prime Minister of Armenia, as well as with IT sector representatives, students of the Yerevan State University of Architecture and visited the memorial to Armenian Genocide victims.

“Whatever you do, you should enjoy your job,” this simple phrase could become a slogan of the meeting held in Yerevan, November 11, between one of the gurus in the world of technology and the Armenian youth. In the crowded hall of the “Marriott Armenia” both students and IT experts were interested in the history of the well-known Apple Company, Wozniak’s life experience, as well as in the cooperation between him and his namesake – Steve Jobs.

The two Steves changed the attitude to the world of technology – as something mysterious and narrow professional having no relation to everyday life. And, according to Jobs and Wozniak, the symbol of the company itself – Apple – had to be associated with the everyday household life.

Everything starts from a dream: still a schoolboy, Wozniak imagined his personal computer – something easy to play and work, unlike the bulky computers of the time. Together with his schoolfriend Jobs they managed to incarnate this dream into reality. “I invented toys and Steve sold them,” Wozniak says.

And what will the “toys” of the future look like? According to Wozniak, they will become more and more qualified – accommodating for man – as computers are already able to recognize and understand the human speech. And soon, the cars themselves will be able to go to the car wash, and the robots will work in the kitchen instead of housewives…

Saying goodbye, Steve Wozniak promised to come to Armenia again, “Two days are not enough for Armenia. Armenia became a part of me.” But Wozniak could not leave so soon as a queue of dozens of owners of “Apple” laptops, iPhone-s, iPod-s and iPad-s was waiting for his signature, and breaking through the “cordon” Wozniak was stopped by another group wanting to be photographed with a living legend.

Source: JNews.am