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Good artists copy. Great artists steal. Steve Jobs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU

nirvana 15y ago
I think a lot of people miss the point of this statement. He's saying, good artists are inspired by the idea and want to copy it, while great artists understand the underlying concept and produce something genuinely original by stealing that concept. For example, that HP Envy copies Apple's design, while the Macbook Pro, steals the underlying concept of the Macbook Air and reforms it in the context of a professional laptop. (Unibody was an innovation created for the Air.) Android is a copy, while Windows Phone 7 is an attempt to come up with something new by stealing the concept.
- rwolf 15y ago
  Could you provide an example outside of apple products, to make your distinction clearer? With the examples given, the difference is colored by my feelings about the companies involved.
  - arocks 15y ago
    It is best to understand the quote in the context of what Picasso meant. This article explains it well: http://www.businessofdesignonline.com/picasso-good-artists-copy/ http://www.businessofdesignonline.com/picasso-good-artists-c...
  - kalid 15y ago
    In programming terms:it's the difference between copy-pasting some code vs. extracting the core design pattern and using that. An important part of a design is the tradeoffs/decisions that went into it, and how it adapts in the face of new circumstances. Copying the final result is a shadow of copying the thinking process.
  - potatolicious 15y ago
    The example that sticks out in my mind are the Sony NEX-series cameras. These are cameras with sensors far larger than most point and shoots, but also do not have the bulk of SLRs - high performance at a pocketable size. Sony's entry into this market came after the extremely innovative and disruptive launch of the Micro-Four Thirds format by Panasonic, Olympus, et al, which were the first products in the category. But far from being a "me too" or a ripoff, Sony took the core concept and advanced it further. They put an even larger sensor into the machine without increasing the bulk, engineered a ground-breaking new viewfinder (generations ahead of anything Panasonic and Olympus had), and put focus into the camera's software that is unprecedented - focus peaking, touch-to-focus, etc. Sony looked at a disruptive entry in the market, distilled it down to its core, and took it further than the incumbents. That is IMHO the difference between "copying" and "stealing".
- weaselspice 15y ago
  What rubbish. For a LOT of people, Android is genuinely better. How is this possible if Google simply "copied" iOS? All these platforms are inspired by one another, iOS included. So sick of seeing this "Apple invented everything" crap.

nirvana 15y ago

I think a lot of people miss the point of this statement. He's saying, good artists are inspired by the idea and want to copy it, while great artists understand the underlying concept and produce something genuinely original by stealing that concept. For example, that HP Envy copies Apple's design, while the Macbook Pro, steals the underlying concept of the Macbook Air and reforms it in the context of a professional laptop. (Unibody was an innovation created for the Air.) Android is a copy, while Windows Phone 7 is an attempt to come up with something new by stealing the concept.

rwolf 15y ago
Could you provide an example outside of apple products, to make your distinction clearer? With the examples given, the difference is colored by my feelings about the companies involved.
- arocks 15y ago
  It is best to understand the quote in the context of what Picasso meant. This article explains it well: http://www.businessofdesignonline.com/picasso-good-artists-copy/ http://www.businessofdesignonline.com/picasso-good-artists-c...
- kalid 15y ago
  In programming terms:it's the difference between copy-pasting some code vs. extracting the core design pattern and using that. An important part of a design is the tradeoffs/decisions that went into it, and how it adapts in the face of new circumstances. Copying the final result is a shadow of copying the thinking process.
- potatolicious 15y ago
  The example that sticks out in my mind are the Sony NEX-series cameras. These are cameras with sensors far larger than most point and shoots, but also do not have the bulk of SLRs - high performance at a pocketable size. Sony's entry into this market came after the extremely innovative and disruptive launch of the Micro-Four Thirds format by Panasonic, Olympus, et al, which were the first products in the category. But far from being a "me too" or a ripoff, Sony took the core concept and advanced it further. They put an even larger sensor into the machine without increasing the bulk, engineered a ground-breaking new viewfinder (generations ahead of anything Panasonic and Olympus had), and put focus into the camera's software that is unprecedented - focus peaking, touch-to-focus, etc. Sony looked at a disruptive entry in the market, distilled it down to its core, and took it further than the incumbents. That is IMHO the difference between "copying" and "stealing".
weaselspice 15y ago
What rubbish. For a LOT of people, Android is genuinely better. How is this possible if Google simply "copied" iOS? All these platforms are inspired by one another, iOS included. So sick of seeing this "Apple invented everything" crap.