Jobs Says Microsoft Lacks Taste, Makes Third-Rate Products

Steve Jobs on Microsoft — JoshuaG

JoshuaG

Steve Jobs argues that while Microsoft largely earned its market dominance, its institutional absence of cultural taste condemns the company to building unoriginal, third-rate software.

AI-assisted summary of Steve Jobs on Microsoft — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published:

Key ideas

  • Steve Jobs identifies an institutional lack of taste as Microsoft's fundamental flaw, arguing the company fails to produce original ideas or bring culture into its technology. (0:00)
  • Jobs uses typography and proportionally spaced fonts as a prime example of cultural heritage that the Mac brought to personal computing, which Microsoft only later adopted. (0:00)
  • Clarifying that his critique is not rooted in commercial rivalry, Jobs concedes that Microsoft largely earned its market success but laments that it builds third-rate products. (0:00)

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by JoshuaG on January 26, 2006, this clip features archival footage from 1996 of Steve Jobs critiquing Microsoft's lack of originality. The video description identifies it as an extended version of Jobs's remarks, while noting an audio-sync issue on the upload.

## TL;DR Steve Jobs delivers a pointed critique of Microsoft, asserting that the company's core issue is an absolute lack of taste and cultural awareness in its product design. He illustrates this through personal computing typography, arguing that proportional fonts only emerged because the Macintosh drew inspiration from the art of fine bookmaking and typesetting. While Jobs makes clear that he does not resent Microsoft's commercial success—admitting they largely earned it—he expresses disappointment that such an influential tech giant settles for producing third-rate products.

## Atmosphere & style The delivery is frank, composed, and intellectually biting, driven by Jobs's characteristic conviction regarding aesthetics and the humanities. Rather than coming across as bitter or envious about market dominance, his tone reflects an earnest, almost sorrowful frustration with uninspired engineering. It feels like an authentic, behind-the-curtain reflection on the philosophical divide between mere business acumen and cultural craftsmanship.

## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Steve Jobs identifies an institutional lack of taste as Microsoft's fundamental flaw, arguing the company fails to produce original ideas or bring culture into its technology. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Jobs uses typography and proportionally spaced fonts as a prime example of cultural heritage that the Mac brought to personal computing, which Microsoft only later adopted. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Clarifying that his critique is not rooted in commercial rivalry, Jobs concedes that Microsoft largely earned its market success but laments that it builds third-rate products.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Steve Jobs considers Microsoft's complete lack of taste to be its core, institutional problem. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) A lack of taste manifests as an inability to conceive original ideas or bring culture into software design. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Technological innovation benefits deeply from cultural appreciation, such as the history of fine bookmaking and typesetting. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) The Mac pioneered proportionally spaced typography in personal computing by drawing directly from traditional print craftsmanship. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Without the Mac establishing typographical standards first, Microsoft would not have incorporated them into its own operating systems. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Jobs emphasizes that his frustration with Microsoft is not driven by envy or corporate jealousy. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Microsoft legitimately earned its financial dominance and broad commercial success. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Commercial dominance does not necessarily correlate with product quality or artistic merit. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Jobs expresses profound sadness that an industry leader with Microsoft's reach settles for making third-rate products.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) Microsoft's Lack of Taste and Originality

Steve Jobs reflects candidly on what he considers the fundamental flaw of Microsoft: their complete absence of taste. Jobs emphasizes that this criticism is not minor or superficial, but a deep-seated institutional issue. As Steve Jobs puts it: “The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste.” He elaborates that this deficiency means they fail to conceptualize original ideas and neglect to infuse any real sense of culture into their products.

To illustrate why cultural awareness and taste matter in technology, Jobs points to typography. He notes that proportionally spaced fonts originated from the craft of fine typesetting and beautiful books; without the Mac drawing from that heritage and pioneering it in personal computing, Microsoft would never have introduced such typography into their own operating systems. Jobs makes clear that his grievance is not rooted in commercial rivalry or envy of their market dominance. Steve Jobs explains: “I am saddened not by Microsoft's success. I have no problem with their success. They've earned their success for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third rate products.”

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Jobs's Critique of Microsoft accDescr: Diagram illustrating Steve Jobs's argument on Microsoft's lack of cultural taste leading to third-rate products.

subgraph CultureAndTaste ["Inspiration & Culture"] A["Fine Arts & Typesetting"] --> B["Apple / Mac Integration"] end

subgraph MicrosoftCritique ["Microsoft's Approach"] C["No Cultural Infusion"] --> D["Lack of Original Ideas"] B -.->|"Copied by"| D D --> E["Third-Rate Products"] end

subgraph MarketOutcome ["Market Reality"] E --> F["Earned Commercial Success"] end ```

- **Absence of originality**: Jobs argues that Microsoft does not originate its own groundbreaking concepts, instead relying on ideas popularized by others. - **The importance of culture**: Elements like proportionally spaced typography in personal computing stemmed directly from an appreciation of classical bookmaking and typesetting brought over via the Macintosh. - **Commercial success vs. product excellence**: Jobs clarifies that Microsoft largely earned its financial and market success, but expresses sadness that a company with such immense reach settles for producing low-quality, third-rate software.

## Notable quotes > [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw&t=0s) The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. — Steve Jobs

## Mentioned Steve Jobs, Microsoft, Macintosh

## Video description Here is the extended version of where Steve Jobs talks about Microsoft & their lack on being original. From the year 1996.

NOTE: Video for some reason has become outta sync. Waiting for youtube to correct or fix whatever they broke, or else will re-upload a new clip soon.

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw)

中文简报

乔布斯称微软缺乏品味，只生产三流产品 史蒂夫·乔布斯指出，尽管微软在很大程度上凭自身努力获得了市场主导地位，但其体制内文化品味的缺失，注定让该公司只能开发缺乏原创性的三流软件。 史蒂夫·乔布斯对微软提出了尖锐批评，断言该公司的核心问题在于其产品设计完全缺乏品味与文化意识。他以个人电脑的排版字体为例，指出比例字体之所以出现，是因为Macintosh汲取了精美书籍装帧与排版艺术的灵感。尽管乔布斯明确表示自己并不嫉妒微软在商业上的成功——承认这主要是他们应得的——但他对这样一家极具影响力的科技巨头甘于生产三流产品感到失望。 史蒂夫·乔布斯认为微软的根本缺陷在于体制上缺乏品味，指出该公司未能产生原创想法，也未将文化融入其技术之中。 (0:00) 乔布斯将排版和比例间距字体作为Mac带给个人计算领域的文化遗产的核心范例，而微软后来才采纳了这一点。 (0:00) 乔布斯澄清其批评并非源于商业竞争，他承认微软在很大程度上赢得了市场成功，但遗憾于其打造的只是三流产品。 (0:00)

Reading summary

Steve Jobs contends that Microsoft's fundamental deficiency is a complete absence of taste and cultural awareness, which prevents the company from generating original ideas. While Jobs concedes that Microsoft largely earned its commercial dominance, he laments that its market power is paired with third-rate products. Cultural Heritage and the Absence of Originality (0:00) Jobs identifies an institutional lack of taste as Microsoft's primary flaw, arguing that the company neither originates groundbreaking concepts nor infuses broader human culture into its software. In his view, this failure leaves Microsoft reliant on imitating innovations pioneered by others rather than generating its own. To illustrate the practical value of cultural taste in technology, Jobs cites the adoption of proportionally spaced typography in personal computing. He notes that this design choice stemmed from the historical craft of fine bookmaking and typesetting introduced through the Macintosh. According to Jobs, had Apple not drawn upon that traditional heritage, Microsoft would never have incorporated high-quality typography into its own operating systems. Commercial Success Versus Product Quality (0:00) Jobs emphasizes that his critique does not stem from commercial envy or resentment toward Microsoft's financial reach. He explicitly states that Microsoft largely earned its market success through its business execution. Instead, Jobs frames his criticism around product standards, expressing sadness that a corporation with such massive industry influence remains content producing what he characterizes as third-rate software rather than pursuing excellence. Jobs's remarks focus on product aesthetics and design philosophy, leaving unaddressed how Microsoft's strategic priorities or enterprise customers valued utility, compatibility, and distribution over cultural craftsmanship.

精炼阅读摘要

史蒂夫·乔布斯（Steve Jobs）指出，微软公司最根本的制度性缺陷在于彻底缺乏审美与文化品味，这导致其缺乏原创思考并持续制造平庸产品，尽管微软在很大程度上凭借自身努力赢得了商业市场。 缺乏文化底蕴对产品原创性的制约 (0:00) 乔布斯认为微软的核心症结不是浅层的瑕疵，而是一种根深蒂固的体制性问题，即完全没有品味。在他看来，审美与文化感知的缺失，导致微软无法构思出开创性的原始概念，也未能将真正的人文底蕴注入产品之中。乔布斯以个人电脑的排版技术为例进行说明，指出比例间距字体源于精美印刷与传统装帧工艺的艺术积淀；如果苹果没有借助Macintosh率先将这一文化遗产融入个人电脑系统，微软绝不可能在其操作系统中主动推行此类排版技术。 商业成功与产品品质之间的脱节 (0:00) 乔布斯明确澄清，他对微软的批评并非出于商业嫉妒或对其市场垄断地位的怨恨。他承认微软在很大程度上配得上所取得的市场份额与商业成功。然而，乔布斯对此感到遗憾与失望的是，这样一家具备巨大影响力的科技巨头，却长期满足于交付其所谓的“三流产品”，未能在软件品质与美学标准上提供更卓越的追求。 乔布斯的观点强调了将人文艺术与计算技术深度融合的主张，将产品开发视作审美与文化的体现；不过该论述完全建立在其对产品美学的特定评判基准之上，未涉及软件兼容性及商业策略在推动计算技术普及过程中的实际效用。

Source quotes

[0:00] Steve Jobs: The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste.

Original transcript

[0:00] The only problem with Microsoft is they [0:02] just have no taste. They have absolutely [0:05] no taste. And and and what that means is [0:07] I don't mean that in a small way. I mean [0:09] in a big way in the sense that [0:16] they [0:18] they don't think of original ideas and [0:21] they don't bring much culture into their [0:23] product. Um and and you say, well, why [0:26] is that important? Well, you know, [0:27] proportionally spaced fonts come from [0:29] type setting and beautiful books. That's [0:31] where one gets the idea. If it weren't [0:33] for the Mac, they would never have that [0:34] in their products. Um, [0:38] and [0:39] so I I guess [0:41] I am saddened not by Microsoft's [0:44] success. I have no problem with their [0:45] success. They've earned their success [0:49] for the most part. I have a problem with [0:51] the fact that they just make really [0:52] third rate products.