---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Apple's advantage is that it designs and…"
description: "\"Apple's advantage is that it designs and builds software together, so if the software isn't excellent, it does the superlative hardware a disservice.\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/walt-mossberg-4158_advantage_apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and_1303563.png"
---

#  Apple's advantage is that it designs and builds software…

![“Apple's advantage is that it designs and builds software together, so if the software isn't excellent, it does the superlative hardware a disservice.” quote by Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/walt-mossberg-4158_advantage_apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and_1303563.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/walt-mossberg-4158_advantage_apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and_1303563.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/walt-mossberg-4158_advantage_apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and_1303563.png)

> “Apple's advantage is that it designs and builds software together, so if the software isn't excellent, it does the superlative hardware a disservice.”

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Apple’s strength lies in tightly integrating hardware and software; if the software falls short, the hardware’s potential is undermined.

**In simple terms:** Apple’s hardware depends on great software.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize software excellence.

Themes

technology design product strategy

Mood

analytical critical

Type

technical strategic

When to use this quote

- product launches
- software updates
- hardware design reviews

Key Concepts

integration user experience innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance hardware and software priorities?
- What processes ensure software quality?

A Different Perspective

Hardware alone cannot compensate for poor software.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) [Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple/) [Apple Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple-advantage-4288501/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Hardware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardware/) [Hardware Disservice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardware-disservice-4288502/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/)

## Related quotes

> [Talking about Apple v. Microsoft without mentioning the Internet and the browser is like talking about WWII without talking about the nuke. Framing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arrington/talking-about-apple-v-microsoft-without-mentioning-the-internet-and/)

[Michael Arrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arrington/)

> [Apple is the only company that can take hardware, software, and services and integrate those into an experience that's an 'aha' for the customer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/apple-is-the-only-company-that-can-take-hardware-software-and/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [ \[Apple and RIM\] are probably restricted, in some sense, to a certain maximum. ... If you want to reach more people than that, you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/apple-and-rim-are-probably-restricted-in-some-sense-to-a-certain/)

[Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/)

> [Whether you are a consumer, a hardware maker, a software developer or a provider of cool new services, it's hard to make a move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/whether-you-are-a-consumer-a-hardware-maker-a-software-developer-or-a/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [Just remember: you're not a 'dummy,' no matter what those computer books claim. The real dummies are the people who-though technically expert-couldn't design hardware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/just-remember-you-re-not-a-dummy-no-matter-what-those-computer-books/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [It wasn't until the Apple Macintosh that people understood what true hardware-software integration was about. It took one company to line it up: low-cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-fadell/it-wasn-t-until-the-apple-macintosh-that-people-understood-what-true/)

[Tony Fadell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-fadell/)

> [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [While it is becoming increasingly obvious that the fundamental architecture of a system has a profound Influence on the quality of its human factors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-m-branscomb/while-it-is-becoming-increasingly-obvious-that-the-fundamental/)

[Lewis M. Branscomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-m-branscomb/)

> [In software speed to market, speed to learning is really key. In hardware if you screw it up you are dead. So accuracy really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-software-speed-to-market-speed-to-learning-is-really-key-in/)

[Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/)

> [It has long been my personal view that the separation of practical and theoretical work is artificial and injurious. Much of the practical work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-strachey/it-has-long-been-my-personal-view-that-the-separation-of-practical/)

[Christopher Strachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-strachey/)

> [I think that the most beautiful thing lately hasn't been in hardware or software per se but collaboration - the idea behind Napster, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levy/i-think-that-the-most-beautiful-thing-lately-hasn-t-been-in-hardware/)

[Steven Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levy/)

> [You can mass-produce hardware; you cannot mass-produce software - you cannot mass-produce the human mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/you-can-mass-produce-hardware-you-cannot-mass-produce-software-you/)

[Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/)

> [The hardware and the software used in the Breakthrough project will be compatible with other telescopes around the world, so they too can search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-milner/the-hardware-and-the-software-used-in-the-breakthrough-project-will/)

[Yuri Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-milner/)

> [By being able to write a genome and plug it into an organism, the software, if you will, changes the hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schuler/by-being-able-to-write-a-genome-and-plug-it-into-an-organism-the/)

[Barry Schuler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schuler/)

> [ Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster. (Or, sometimes known by\] Grove \[the head of Intel\] giveth and Gates \[the head of Microsoft\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklaus-wirth/software-gets-slower-faster-than-hardware-gets-faster-or-sometimes/)

[Niklaus Wirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklaus-wirth/)

## More by Walt Mossberg

> [I wasn't surprised to find Samsung's OLED screen to be bright, vivid, and clear. It's beautiful, although in viewing some photos and videos, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/i-wasn-t-surprised-to-find-samsung-s-oled-screen-to-be-bright-vivid/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [Books should cost less and they should be digital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/books-should-cost-less-and-they-should-be-digital/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [Just remember: you're not a 'dummy,' no matter what those computer books claim. The real dummies are the people who-though technically expert-couldn't design hardware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/just-remember-you-re-not-a-dummy-no-matter-what-those-computer-books/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [I have on my wall right now a front page of the 'Journal' from January 1991, when I co-wrote a front-page story about Iraq…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/i-have-on-my-wall-right-now-a-front-page-of-the-journal-from-january/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [Microsoft makes numerous apps for both Android and iOS, as do Google, Amazon and Facebook. You can run iTunes and iCloud on Windows and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/microsoft-makes-numerous-apps-for-both-android-and-ios-as-do-google/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [Jeff Williams, Apple's senior vice president of operations, has been called 'Tim Cook's Tim Cook' by some.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/jeff-williams-apple-s-senior-vice-president-of-operations-has-been/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [The products I review are typically lent to me by their manufacturers for a few weeks or months. I return any products I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/the-products-i-review-are-typically-lent-to-me-by-their-manufacturers/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [Who have I picked fights with over the years? Bill Gates. Google. Mark Zuckerberg. Even - despite everything that's written about my relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/who-have-i-picked-fights-with-over-the-years-bill-gates-google-mark/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [There are lots of reasons email persists, even as faster and simpler forms of communication proliferate and your personal communications likely have mostly migrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/there-are-lots-of-reasons-email-persists-even-as-faster-and-simpler/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [Big screens helped propel Samsung to top-tier prominence and helped iPhone sales explode a few years later. But for many, including myself, the biggest-screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/big-screens-helped-propel-samsung-to-top-tier-prominence-and-helped/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [Though it has plenty of competitors, Slack claims to be the 'fastest growing business application in history'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/though-it-has-plenty-of-competitors-slack-claims-to-be-the-fastest/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [When I walk into a Best Buy, I now see, right from the front door, a giant Apple logo. I see a giant Samsung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/when-i-walk-into-a-best-buy-i-now-see-right-from-the-front-door-a/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [I try not to make snap judgments. I never, ever make conclusions about products I've never tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/i-try-not-to-make-snap-judgments-i-never-ever-make-conclusions-about/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [I believe that tablets - and especially the iPad - are extremely versatile and productive tools for consumers, schools and businesses and are better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/i-believe-that-tablets-and-especially-the-ipad-are-extremely/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

> [It turns out that CVS is one of about 40 merchants in a consortium that formed in 2011 to develop their own mobile-phone-based payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/it-turns-out-that-cvs-is-one-of-about-40-merchants-in-a-consortium/)

[Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

[Explore all 115 Walt Mossberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/)

## More Advantage quotes

> [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [All I ever wanted was an unfair advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-wynn/all-i-ever-wanted-was-an-unfair-advantage/)

[Garrison Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-wynn/)

> [Part of the advantage, and part of the result of trying to be a producer and director, are the practical things, you find. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/part-of-the-advantage-and-part-of-the-result-of-trying-to-be-a/)

[Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/)

> [I was born with a silver microphone in my mouth, and that was an advantage. My father wrote books and was also a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/i-was-born-with-a-silver-microphone-in-my-mouth-and-that-was-an/)

[Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/)

> [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> [For some reason when I decide to pursue something, I never have any fear that it won't happen. I think it's just ingrained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-blatz/for-some-reason-when-i-decide-to-pursue-something-i-never-have-any/)

[Kelly Blatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-blatz/)

> [I think I have good hands, so I try to use them to my advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-andreescu/i-think-i-have-good-hands-so-i-try-to-use-them-to-my-advantage/)

[Bianca Andreescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-andreescu/)

> [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/my-influences-are-jazz-blues-european-classical-music-they-are-rock/)

[Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/)

> [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/)

[Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/)

> [Daily contact with some teachers is itself all-sided ethical education for the child without a spoken precept. Here, too, the real advantage of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/daily-contact-with-some-teachers-is-itself-all-sided-ethical/)

[G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/)

> [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [Live in the world you inhabit. Look upon things as they are. Take them as you find them. Make the best of them. Turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/live-in-the-world-you-inhabit-look-upon-things-as-they-are-take-them/)

[Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/)

> [I always tell women that the fact that you're different and that you're noticed, because there are few of us in the tech industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/i-always-tell-women-that-the-fact-that-you-re-different-and-that-you/)

[Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/)

[Browse all 3,503 Advantage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Apple's advantage is that it designs and builds software together, so if the software isn't excellent, it does the superlative hardware a disservice.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walt Mossberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and-builds-software-together-so/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advantage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and-builds-software-together-so/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/walt-mossberg-4158_advantage_apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and_1303563.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/walt-mossberg-4158_advantage_apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and_1303563.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/walt-mossberg-4158_advantage_apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and_1303563.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Apple's advantage is that it designs and builds software together, so if the software isn't excellent, it…” — Walt Mossberg",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Walt Mossberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Apple's advantage is that it designs...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and-builds-software-together-so/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/apple-s-advantage-is-that-it-designs-and-builds-software-together-so/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
