Every once in a while I am reminded why Steve Jobs is the oft-quoted and always revered character that he is. This week at the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Jobs hosted a "fireside chat" where he responded to questions from the audience. A couple of excellent Jobs zingers, then, to usher in the weekend...
On Apple's management:
"Apple suffered for years from lousy engineering management. They were
going in about 17 different directions...I think Apple's had its head in
the sand for the last many years. There's been so much happening in, say,
network computing for example, that Apple's missed out on."
On Microsoft vs. Apple:
"It's incredibly stupid for Apple to get in a position where for Apple
to win, Microsoft has to lose. Microsoft is a fact of life. They're like
the air we breathe...Perhaps a better analogy is bottled water, because
you have to buy it."
On the Apple turnaround:
"I don't think Apple's turned it around: I think it's turning it around.
I think it is much better than things were not so very long ago."
On OpenDoc:
"\[I apologize for being\] one of the people who put a bullet in your
technology...\[but Apple needs to focus\] and focusing is about saying no.
The rest of the world wasn't going to use OpenDoc anyway, so why should
Apple do it?"
On software support for Rhapsody:
"Microsoft hasn't committed to port its productivity suite to Rhapsody--
what are you waiting for? Adobe has not to my knowledge committed to
porting Photoshop. Well?"
On Apple's place in the computer industry:
"I don't want Apple to be perceived as different; I think it's important
that Apple is perceived as better.