“The problem is, in hardware you can’t build a computer that’s twice as good as anyone else’s anymore. Too many people know how to do it. You’re lucky if you can do one that’s one and a third times better or one and a half times better. And then it’s only six months before everybody else catches up. But you can do it in software. As a matter of fact, I think that the leap that we’ve made is at least five years ahead of anybody.”
Steve Jobs in 1994 (via marco)
(Not coincidentally, I added this whole interview straight to Instapaper. Thanks for the print-friendly link Marco.)
“In the months before Apple launched the iPhone in 2007 — now its fastest-growing product — the CEO was also on top of every detail, such as the curvature of the phone’s back…”
This quote almost reads like it’s a bad thing that Jobs was involved in every detail; as if he was meddling. The curve of the iPhone’s back is one of those small, not-often-discussed, details that makes the iPhone what it is. To my hand, it is perfectly balanced. I stopped using a case a while ago, and one of the main reasons was just how good the phone feels in your hand. It’s amazing. Sure nothing happens on the back of the phone, but it wouldn’t be the same device if it was overlooked.
