Woz Up?! Apple co-founder speaks about software-related sudden acceleration in his 2010 Prius

John Neff — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:57:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Recalls, Hatchback, Toyota, Celebrities

Here's Toyota's line: its two recalls for floormats and sticking accelerator pedals should cover all potential cases of sudden unintended acceleration in its batch of recalled vehicles. Both recalls are for mechanical issues, and Toyota spokesman John Hanson claims, "After man years of exhaustive testing we have not found any evidence of an electronic [software] problem that would have led to unwanted acceleration."

Enter Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and a jolly guy who knows a thing or two about software. While speaking at the Discovery Forum 2010, the Woz claimed that his 2010 Prius, which is not a part of either recall, has an accelerator that "goes wild but only under certain conditions of cruise control." He also claimed that it's repeatable. Though Woz said he has tried to contact both Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Institute, neither has reportedly investigated his claim.

Why is this news? Because despite Toyota's claim that any potential risk for sudden unintentional acceleration in its recalled vehicles is mechanically related, there are lingering reports of other cases, including ones involving vehicles not affected by either recall, that could be software-related. Proving that software caused an instance of sudden acceleration is tricky, so the fact that Woz claims he can repeat the issue makes his case appear to be one worth investigating.

[Source: CNET | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Woz Up?! Apple co-founder speaks about software-related sudden acceleration in his 2010 Prius originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple's Woz recreates famous Nissan 280Z commercial

Chris Shunk — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:27:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Auctions, Nissan

Click the image above for the gallery

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has lived a charmed life, and he's giving back to the technical sciences by auctioning off his 2005 350Z special edition for charity. The Woz has a soft spot for the old Nissan Z cars, as he appeared in a commercial for the 280Z back in the day, and he has put together a remake of the old spot featuring his 350Z. The spoof commercial features a rotund Woz rolling across the back yard of his spacial digs in a Segway, while sound from the original commercial mentions that the Apple co-founder has two sports cars. The spoof video ends with the Weird Al version of "Ridin Dirty" playing while the Woz rides off into the sunset, Apple II license plate in full view. The sale price for the car is $100,000, but Woz is also accepting lower offers. Click here to view the "remake" video, and follow the jump to check out the classic original.

[Source: TUAW]

Gallery: Steve Wozniak sells his 2005 Nissan 350Z

Continue reading Apple's Woz recreates famous Nissan 280Z commercial

Apple's Woz recreates famous Nissan 280Z commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments