Steve Jobs on We Don't Ship Junk: Macs, Intel, and the iMac
What Jobs talks about
In this press Q&A, Jobs explains Apple’s approach to product presentation and customer experience. He says Apple would rather focus on what’s inside the box than cover the outside with stickers and logos.
He also defends the iMac as a durable part of Apple’s lineup, even as notebooks become a bigger share of shipments. Jobs argues that desktops still offer advantages like larger screens, bigger keyboards, and lower cost for some customers.
The exchange captures a classic Jobs theme: Apple should make products that feel clean, intentional, and complete. He ties that to both design philosophy and the company’s future product mix.
Jobs speaks throughout, with press reporters asking questions.
In his words
“We like our own stickers better.”
“We love working with Intel.”
“It's just that everybody knows we're using Intel processors, and so I think putting a lot of stickers on the box is just redundant.”
“We put ourselves in the customer's shoes and say, what do we want stuck on our product when we take it out of the box?”
“And the answer is nothing.”
Key points
- Apple’s customers expect great products, and they spread the word themselves.
- Apple prefers its own branding over cluttering Macs with extra stickers.
- Jobs says Intel Macs are strong, but the sticker-heavy PC approach is noisy and redundant.
- Apple wants products that do not need junk peeled off or removed to feel finished.
- The iMac remains important for consumers, prosumers, and professionals.
- Desktops still matter because they can offer bigger screens and more power for the price.
- Notebooks are growing fastest, but the desktop has a long future too.
Full transcript
I think we've developed a bit of a reputation for doing just that. And I think we've got a phenomenal customer base for the Mac, who I think expects that from us and is delighted when we deliver it. And I think they're going to be delighted with these new products. And they themselves are really the best sales and marketing force that one could ever ask for, because they show their friends. And their friends get jealous, and that's how we get new customers. Yes, sir. Thank you. It's Bob Keith with Cox Newspapers. Can you say why you all are not participating in the Intel Inside program and putting the stickers on your new or previous Mac?
What can I say? We like our own stickers better. What could be wrong? We love working with Intel. We're very proud to ship Intel products in Macs. I mean, they're screamers. And combined with our operating system, we've really tuned them well together. So we're very proud of that. It's just that everybody knows we're using Intel processors, and so I think putting a lot of stickers on the box is just redundant. And we'd rather tell them about the product that's inside the box, and they know it's got a great Intel processor. It's not just about Intel Inside. When you buy any off-the-shelf PCs, the boxes are covered with confusing logos and messages and icons.
You open it up, there are stickers to peel off, displays and keyboards. They're all over the place. And then you start it up, and you find junkware all over your desktop and in your menus that they've littered with. They're trying to upsell you on junk. And that whole philosophy, we try to just give you a great product that you're going to love, and you don't have to peel stuff off to make it look better. We put ourselves in the customer's shoes and say, what do we want stuck on our product when we take it out of the box? And the answer is nothing. Yes, ma'am. Hi, Leslie Ayers with MacLife. Just a quick question about the iMacs. How thin are they? They're really thin.
What's the measurement compared to the old iMacs? You're going to have your hands on one in just a minute, and that information, I'm sure, is on our website. You can measure it in the next room in just a few minutes, but they're appreciably thinner, which wasn't easy. Sir? Hi, Tom Krasick with CNET. Given the trend that you talked about with mobility, that two-thirds of your products now are shipping on the notebook side, what do you see as the future of the iMac product? How is that going to evolve as people grow more and more accustomed to being mobile? Well, I think the iMac has really become our desktop of choice for not only consumers but prosumers and a lot of our professional customers as well.
While notebooks constitute the majority of our shipments, desktops are still, today, an important part. Because desktops don't require battery operation, they don't require the level of miniaturization that a notebook does, we can offer the customer bigger screens and brighter screens, obviously bigger keyboards and stuff, for sometimes even less money than a notebook. Some customers are going to continue to choose that. Some customers are going to want to own both. So we think the iMac's got a pretty strong future, too. Yeah, and just that, obviously, storage. To have a terabyte of storage inside is incredible for a consumer desktop computer. And then, if you can imagine, in a work environment, people in a professional shop do a lot of video editing and music creation, and they want some desktops set up in work environments.
So there's a place for both. Notebooks is the greatest growing area in the future, not only for the industry, but for us. But the desktop still is a long-lasting part of it. I'm not aware of anybody asking for a 24-inch notebook yet.
Transcribed from the audio with OpenAI Whisper. Timestamps link to the video above. Errors are possible.