Perhaps he does, I find it just as productive for some things as the latest graphics software. Nevertheless your reply holds him literally to the original MacPaint program released on January 26, 1984.
A more reasonable interpretation is that he is referring to the concept of the software and the most current successors of it, regardless if it is a direct descendent, or another company's who built their code from the ground up, but still utilizes all the fundamental principles originally first introduced in MacPaint. Sure, newer programs are loaded with bells and whistles the original didn't have, but aside from that, has anything been written for the computer that is as revolutionary? Not yet as far as I can tell. We're still pretty much using the computer exactly the same way we were in 1984, just faster, slicker and more flavors of the same idea. I think iOS may open new avenues for revolutions in how we use the computer as groundbreaking as the GUI and MacPaint did, but only time will tell.