Co-founder of the Apple Computer Corporation Steve Wozniak has been on a visit to Armenia November 10-11 to receive an award for his global contribution to the Information Technologies (IT) sector from President Serzh Sargsyan.

Wozniak, a Ukrainian American computer engineer and programmer, was a longtime partner of the late Steve Jobs. The 61-year-old often called “the other Steve” took a Segway ride in the streets of downtown Yerevan and signed some Macbooks of his fans on Thursday, the first day of his two-day visit to Armenia as part of which he would also meet local government officials, IT sector specialists and university students. The news about Wozniak’s arrival in Armenia became a news occasion for local, regional (Russia, Georgia and even Azerbaijan) and international media and social networks, etc.

Wozniak is considered to be the father of the personal computer, the fact that allows Armenia IT industry representatives to say that “a living legend has come to Armenia”.

In an interview with Mediamax, Wozniak said that he was aware that Armenia was a center of IT sector in the USSR and expressed confidence that his ideas and those of Steve Jobs will be realized in Armenia as well.

“You just need to be brave to believe in yourself. Steve and I believed that we did a great job,” said Wozniak.

On Friday, Wozniak was scheduled to receive an award from President Serzh Sargsyan for his outstanding contribution to the global IT sector development.

The award was instituted in 2009 by Synopsys Armenia with financial support of mobile phone operator VivaCell-MTS (the monetary prize is 22 million drams, or about $58,000).

According to the organizers, “these awards accentuate Armenia on the global IT map as a developing hi-tech center.”

In 2010, the first year of the annual award, Armenia honored Craig Barrett, a former chairman and chief executive of Intel Corporation.

The Award Committee also includes well-known personalities, such as Forbes Magazine publisher Rich Karlgaard, leading hi-tech reporter Michael Melone, Synopsys Armenia Vice President Rich Goldman.

Goldman, in particular, said: “By coming to Armenia, the world’s brightest people will raise also the prestige of the country. Innovation cannot be made with stone and cement, it calls for an environment.”

Still last year some critical opinions could be heard about the establishment of the award, with some saying it would not promote the development of the IT industry, but today even former critics feel enthusiastic about hosting those who come to Armenia to pick awards.

IT industry expert Samvel Karapetyan says: “If people of this caliber come to Armenia to receive awards – and it is not every award that they go to receive – it means that there is already an image and Armenia to some extent is associated with major IT countries.”

“But, of course, the sector will not make progress through awards alone, this is a whole complex of activities in which the award also has its role,” Karapetyan told ArmeniaNow.