"I'm gonna see it! I want it to be as beautiful as possible, even if it's inside the box. A great carpenter isn't going to use lousy wood for the back of a cabinet, even though nobody's going to see it."
This was Jobs response to an argument on the inner looks of the computer. The engineer he was arguing with correctly said his way of wanting things done in this case wouldn't work, and that it didn't matter anyway, since nobody would see it. That's when Jobs said the comment above.
While it was true in this case that Jobs was wrong, I do like the way he expected the inner look of the computer to be as good as the outer look. It may seems ignorant or nutty, but it did something to those working in the company that made them better.
Of course when you're innovating you're going to make a lot of mistakes, and Jobs, as in this case, did make a lot of them. But his tyrannical obsession with design (and it was at times tyrannical) made his people better for it. Although many said at the time it could burn them out, later on they would say it drew out the best in them.
I think what the obsession with design came from was Jobs thinking of the overall design of the computer as a work of art; either like an artist would paint or a cabinetmaker would build.
To him it didn't matter if it was seen or not, he needed to know that "his" work of art was completed to his satisfaction.
When it comes down to it, design is an extraordinarily important part of any product offered by a company. There's something that may not be able to be seen by the enduser, which speaks something that can't be put into words. There's just something about it that says "quality" or it's a work of art. Somehow it satisfies the person purchasing it. There's a feel to it that can't be explained, but only appreciated.
When you think of the various products put out through Apple (AAPL) and Pixar, you can see that unspoken design and quality that speaks to the consumer that becomes a fan of the stream of offerings put out through the Jobs-influenced companies.
Innovation in the area of design is one of the ingredients Jobs has that allows him in many cases to price his products at higher levels than most companies would dare. And people are more than willing to pay those prices. A big part of that competitive advantage is related to the power of the design.
Other Steve Jobs Resources:
You've got to find what you love
Steve Jobs, Business Personality
Steve Jobs' Greatest Presentation
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