The reason that Apple is able to create products like the iPad is because we've always tried to be at the inte... — Steve Jobs

The reason that Apple is able to create products like the iPad is because we've always tried to be at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts.

Author: Steve Jobs

Insight: There's something quietly radical about this idea: that the best technology isn't built by engineers alone, locked in a room with their code and circuits. It's built by people who also think about history, design, language, how humans actually move through the world. When Jobs talks about the "intersection," he's describing something most of us feel but rarely name—that sense of completion when a tool just fits, when it feels almost natural to use. This matters more now than ever, actually. We're drowning in apps and gadgets designed purely by the numbers—optimized for engagement metrics, packed with features nobody asked for, bewildering to anyone over thirty. Meanwhile, the products we actually love tend to be the ones that feel considered, almost humble. They don't demand you learn their logic; they speak your language. That's what happens when someone spent time thinking about art, story, and human nature before sitting down to write the code. The tricky part? This approach is harder and slower. It requires resisting the pressure to add everything, to maximize every screen inch. It means someone has to care enough about words, or gesture, or the feeling of holding something, to argue for simplicity. That's rare in a world obsessed with more.

Source: The iPad is because we've always tried to be at the intersection of technology and liberal arts. Interview with Walt Mossberg at D8 Conference, 2010