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Apple co-founder Wozniak bashes Nokia, predicts Android outperforming iPhone

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Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak took some shots at Nokia and opined about the Android and iPhone rivalry in The Hague this week, where he opens the Science & Technology Summit at the World Forum.

In an interview with the Dutch language De Telegraaf newspaper, spotted by the Engadget blog, Wozniak calls cellphone company Nokia a throwback from “a previous generation.”

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Nokia, he said, came late to the touch screen game and now has “an image problem” that it needs to rectify with a fresh new brand and younger customer base.

Wozniak had sweeter words for Google’s Android phone, however, saying that the smartphone would likely edge out iPhone for market dominance.

Though Apple’s iPhone has “very few weaknesses” and is a leader in quality, he said, the Android has more features that appeal to a wider audience. Once Android works through its glitches, the operating system will surpass Apple’s, he said.

In a trip down memory lane, Wozniak also reminisced about an early Apple collaboration with a well-known Japanese consumer electronics company. Back in 2004, the companies had paired up to try to develop a groundbreaking phone, but the resulting product didn’t make the cut.

“Apple ... wanted something that could surprise the world,” Wozniak said. “Companies need to wait to capture a market until they have something extremely strong.”

Sounds like the iPhone, which was first released in 2007, fit the bill.

[Updated 12:14 p.m.: According to Engadget, Wozniak says he was misquoted by De Telegraaf. He says that he expects Android ‘to be a lot like Windows.... I’m not trying to put Android down, but I’m not suggesting it’s better than iOS by any stretch of the imagination. But it can get greater market share and still be crappy.’]

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-- Tiffany Hsu

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