is apple a HARDWARE or SOFTWARE company??

[notjustjay]

Which would you rather own, running Vista/Ubuntu/Solaris?

And, part of why OSX is so great is that the software is made to suit the hardware, unlike Windows.

Ok, but which would you prefer if you only had the choice between:

(a) beautiful aluminum iMac, running Vista

(b) ugly Dell XPS, running OS X with iLife

I choose (b) -- I choose Apple primarily for their software. The fact that their hardware looks fantastic is just gravy.

Of course, as others have said, there's no clear-cut division, and the fact that the software is so preferable is, like you say, a function of the hardware being designed specifically for it (and vice versa).

 

[LethalWolfe]

Apple is a hardware company that had to resort to developing a lot of first party software because they lost so much 3rd party support when they were going down the tubes in the '90s. They make their money selling hardware (computers, iPods, TV, etc.,) and use high quality, low cost first party software to drive hardware sales.


Lethal

 

[GavinTing]

They are a hardware company that sells software to complement their macs. Remember, they still make big bucks from iPods! They happen to make software so that people will buy their hardware. Most of you guys don't realise that the argument is not about iMacs, Macbooks, and other computers. It's also related to the iPods.. Which is one of the reasons Apple Computer became Apple..

Since iPods are hardware.. Well.. Apple is both!

 

[DoFoT9]

They are a hardware company that sells software to complement their macs. Remember, they still make big bucks from iPods! They happen to make software so that people will buy their hardware. Most of you guys don't realise that the argument is not about iMacs, Macbooks, and other computers. It's also related to the iPods.. Which is one of the reasons Apple Computer became Apple..

Since iPods are hardware.. Well.. Apple is both!

yes apple does make BIG bucks from ipods. but remember, apple doesnt produce that hardware, they buy it from other companies! apple itself ONLY produces the software (their programers do that). their designers design the hardware and whatnot to make it how they want it to look, but they dont actually make it, they make some1 else do that...

 

[tomoisyourgod]

Ok, but which would you prefer if you only had the choice between:

(a) beautiful aluminum iMac, running Vista

(b) ugly Dell XPS, running OS X with iLife

I choose (b) -- I choose Apple primarily for their software. The fact that their hardware looks fantastic is just gravy.

Of course, as others have said, there's no clear-cut division, and the fact that the software is so preferable is, like you say, a function of the hardware being designed specifically for it (and vice versa).

That's a good point, have to agree with you on that one, OS X is by far the best OS out there.

Thankfully though, Apple combine the best of both world's in the best OS and beautiful hardware

 

[LethalWolfe]

yes apple does make BIG bucks from ipods. but remember, apple doesnt produce that hardware, they buy it from other companies! apple itself ONLY produces the software (their programers do that). their designers design the hardware and whatnot to make it how they want it to look, but they dont actually make it, they make some1 else do that...

Dell doesn't produce the components that go inside their brand of machines either but I don't think anyone is going to say Dell isn't a computer hardware company.


Lethal

 

[elppa]

low cost first party software to drive hardware sales.l

But some of the cost of a Mac is going into the software. And when you "buy" Mac OS X for $129 you are really only buying an upgrade, it doesn not reflect the true value of the product.

Apple worked out long ago that people don't like paying for software, so they built their hardware as a way of selling it.

Microsoft also worked this out, which is why they forced PC manufacturers to sign exclusice contracts to only bundle Windows with their PCs.

Remember, they still make big bucks from iPods!

iPod wouldn't be successful without the software.

 

[DoFoT9]

Dell doesn't produce the components that go inside their brand of machines either but I don't think anyone is going to say Dell isn't a computer hardware company.


Lethal

true good point, hardly any computer companies do they just get them from some Taiwanese factory and put their label on it. but dell doesnt make any software at all, so that would leave you thinking what kind of company they are.. (hardware)

 

[LethalWolfe]

But some of the cost of a Mac is going into the software. And when you "buy" Mac OS X for $129 you are really only buying an upgrade, it doesn not reflect the true value of the product.

Of course some of the cost of the Mac is for the software, but Apple doesn't price it's software to be the money maker. The most recent example of this is the Color program that comes in the FCS 2 suite. Last year Final Touch (which Apple purchased and renamed Color) cost $25,000 or $30,000. Today, for $1300, you get Color, FCP, DVD SP, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Cinema Tools, and LiveType.

Apple worked out long ago that people don't like paying for software, so they built their hardware as a way of selling it.

Apple has always been about selling boxes though. The "clone years" nearly killed Apple because people weren't buying Apple's machines they were buying Apple licensed machines from other hardware companies. Everything from iLife to FCP was pretty much a life saving bootstrapping effort on Apple's part because 3rd parties stopped making software for the Mac. What started out as a requirement for survival has evolved into standard operating procedure.


Lethal

 

[elppa]

Of course some of the cost of the Mac is for the software, but Apple doesn't price it's software to be the money maker. The most recent example of this is the Color program that comes in the FCS 2 suite. Last year Final Touch (which Apple purchased and renamed Color) cost $25,000 or $30,000. Today, for $1300, you get Color, FCP, DVD SP, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Cinema Tools, and LiveType.

Apple has always been about selling boxes though. The "clone years" nearly killed Apple because people weren't buying Apple's machines they were buying Apple licensed machines from other hardware companies. Everything from iLife to FCP was pretty much a life saving bootstrapping effort on Apple's part because 3rd parties stopped making software for the Mac. What started out as a requirement for survival has evolved into standard operating procedure.


Lethal

Interesting points lethal, but I don't really understand the arguments fully, as plenty of third parties make software for the Mac. WWDC gets bigger and bigger every year.

So surely there is no need for Apple to make software anymore if your theory follows.

Apple makes software because they are good at it and it is an area of strength, not because no one else will.

What got Apple into problems was not pushing forward on the software front (i.e. dragging System 7 on for far to long and failing to replace it soon enough).

 

[LethalWolfe]

Interesting points lethal, but I don't really understand the arguments fully, as plenty of third parties make software for the Mac. WWDC gets bigger and bigger every year.

This wasn't the case when Apple was struggling and even long time partners (like Adobe and Avid) were looking to ditch the platform.

So surely there is no need for Apple to make software anymore if your theory follows.

Apple makes software because they are good at it and it is an area of strength, not because no one else will.

Which is what I meant by saying Apple's bootstrapping tactics turned into standard operating procedure. They originally turned to making so much first party software because they had to, but the software was so good that, as you said, it's become an area of strength.


Lethal

 

[DoFoT9]

Interesting points lethal, but I don't really understand the arguments fully, as plenty of third parties make software for the Mac. WWDC gets bigger and bigger every year.

So surely there is no need for Apple to make software anymore if your theory follows.

Apple makes software because they are good at it and it is an area of strength, not because no one else will.

What got Apple into problems was not pushing forward on the software front (i.e. dragging System 7 on for far to long and failing to replace it soon enough).

clearly apple needs to continue making software, e.g. OSX and ilife etcetc. if they discontinued making that then there wouldnt be any future upgrades no??
apple makes software because they are a software company. pretty simple really.

 

[elppa]

Which is what I meant by saying Apple's bootstrapping tactics turned into standard operating procedure. They originally turned to making so much first party software because they had to, but the software was so good that, as you said, it's become an area of strength.

But the original Mac had impressive software for the time. So I think it was always an area of strength, even if they lost their way in the 90s.

 

[DoFoT9]

But the original Mac had impressive software for the time. So I think it was always an area of strength, even if they lost their way in the 90s.

and they now have their strength back

 

[LethalWolfe]

clearly apple needs to continue making software, e.g. OSX and ilife etcetc. if they discontinued making that then there wouldnt be any future upgrades no??
apple makes software because they are a software company. pretty simple really.

If Apple is a software company first and foremost why do they ignore the massive Windows market w/the lone exception of software (Safari and iTunes) that will facilitate the sale Apple hardware (iPhone, and iPods)?

But the original Mac had impressive software for the time. So I think it was always an area of strength, even if they lost their way in the 90s.

Jobs and Woz built and sold computers. When they first saw a GUI they went "Holy crap, if we develop that we'll sell more computers" as opposed to Bill Gates who went, "Holy crap, if I develop that I'll sell more software."
Apple did push the industry forward when they introduced a GUI to the desktop computer, but you could only get that GUI if you purchased Apple hardware. Besides the Apple operating systems what other killer first party software was there?

Apple is all about selling their hardware and they've learned to make top quality software that showcases the hardware.


Lethal