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Steve Wozniak says Android will dominate the smartphone market

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Updated 10/18/2010: It seems something was lost in the English-Dutch translation. Wozniak has now claimed that he was misquoted in the interview with De Telegraaf and that he never said that Android’s OS was superior to the iPhone’s. Wozniak clarified his thoughts on Android and the iPhone in a conversation with Engadget earlier today.

Apparently, you don’t become an Apple co-founder by being shy and reserved. This time, it’s Steve Wozniak – the other of Apple’s co-founding “two Steves” – making waves with candid comments about the tech industry, specifically targeting the company he helped to launch nearly 35 years ago.

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In an interview with the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Steve Wozniak reveals that Apple had collaborated in developing a smartphone with an unnamed Japanese company in 2004. While Apple had been satisfied with the product, the project was eventually dropped. Here’s what he had to say:

“Apple was satisfied with the quality but wanted something that could surprise the world. If Apple comes with a new product it must have a real breakthrough.  Companies need to wait to capture a market until they have something extremely strong.  A new product was separated from the rest of the group should be developed. In addition, developers must depart from beaten paths.”

Apple, of course, would eventually go on to release the iPhone in Jan. of 2007.

Wozniak also made a prediction that’s sure to irk Steve Jobs: Android will become the dominant smartphone platform and not the iPhone. Wozniak compared the Android operating system to Windows saying that it would succeed in winning over a larger demographic of people in spite of its flaws and inconsistencies. Wonziak indicated Android’s more expansive features and openness as being its primary advantages over the iPhone.

“The iPhone has very few weak points,” he said “There are no serious complaints or issues. When it comes to quality, the iPhone leads the way. Apple has shown the world what direction we’re going. Android phones do come with more options, though.”

The interview concludes with Wozniak taking a swipe at Finnish company Nokia calling it a brand for the “previous generation.”

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