Steve Jobs’ 1995 Critique of Microsoft Goes Viral Amid Major Windows Outage

A critical assessment of Microsoft by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs from 1995 has resurfaced and gained significant attention online, coinciding with a major outage affecting millions of Windows users globally. The outage, which has disrupted services across various sectors including airlines, has drawn renewed scrutiny towards Microsoft’s software and its reliability.

In a revealing interview with tech journalist Bob Cringely, Jobs had offered a scathing critique of Microsoft, calling its products “third-rate” and criticizing the company for lacking originality and cultural depth. “The only problems with Microsoft is that they have no taste… they have absolutely no taste. I don’t mean that in a small way… I mean that in a big way. They don’t think of original ideas and don’t bring much culture into their products,” Jobs said. He elaborated on his disdain for Microsoft’s lack of innovative ideas, contrasting it with the more sophisticated, design-conscious approach of Apple.

“… you say, ‘Well, why is that important?’ Well, proportionally-spaced fonts come from typesetting and beautiful books. That’s where one gets the idea (and) if it weren’t for the Mac, they would never have that in their products,” he explained.

“And so, I guess 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.”Jobs’ comments highlighted his frustration with Microsoft’s perceived inability to integrate higher design principles into its products, a sentiment that has been echoed by some critics today as the company grapples with a major technical issue. The interview, which has gone viral amid the ongoing crisis, has reignited debate over the quality and vision of Microsoft’s offerings.

Also read: Global Microsoft Outage Causes Widespread Disruptions Across Multiple Sectors

Microsoft Outage Details

The current outage has been linked to a recent update from CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm partnered with Microsoft. According to Microsoft’s Service Health Status updates, the problem stems from a configuration change in its Azure backend systems. This issue has led to connectivity failures between storage and compute resources, impacting Microsoft 365 services and causing widespread disruptions.

Microsoft has acknowledged the problem and is actively working to restore affected services. The company has detailed its efforts to reroute impacted traffic to alternate systems to minimize disruptions and expedite recovery.

Impact on Services

The outage has had a broad impact on various critical services worldwide. In India, major airlines such as SpiceJet and Akasa Air have reported significant technical challenges. SpiceJet has informed passengers that online ticket booking and check-in services are disrupted, advising travelers to arrive earlier at the airport to complete check-in manually. Similarly, Akasa Air and IndiGo have issued warnings about potential delays and disruptions at major airports, including Chennai and Mumbai.

“We kindly request passengers with upcoming travel plans to arrive at the airport earlier than usual to complete check-in at our counters,” the airline said on X.

In addition to airlines, essential services such as police and government operations have also been affected by the outage, underscoring the widespread nature of the problem.