as long as it was black

I have trouble understanding the following in red.

Steve Jobs had never been one to ask customers what they preferred. One of his idols, carmaker Henry Ford, once famously said that customers could have their Model Ts in any color they wanted---as long as it was black. In this case, Jobs never asked who would really want (or use) these high-powered machines in the first place.

It's confusing. Is this saying "customers don't care about the color of their cars, as long as it is black." Sounds strange.

Thank you.

No. He was making a joke about the fact that the customers had no choice.

When Ford first brought out the Model T, they only made it in one colour - black. However, Henry Ford is quoted as saying "You can have it in any colour you like - as long as it's black!" He was being funny. ;-)

Thank you all for the help