It's official!

[Shawn Erickson]

On 6/1/07, Ashley Aitken <mrhatken at mac.com> wrote:
>
> On 01/06/2007, at 10:05 PM, Shawn Erickson wrote:
>
> >
> > On Jun 1, 2007, at 6:57 AM, Ashley Aitken wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> From Steve himself:
> >>
> >> <http://d5.allthingsd.com/20070531/video-steve-jobs-and-bill-gates-
> >> together-part-2-of-7/>
> >>
> >> "Apple views itself as a software company."
> >>
> >> "It's in a beautiful box but it is software."
> >
> > Yeah and?
>
> You trimmed the quote just a little too much Shawn.
>
> The rest of my email said:
>
> > That should settle any debate (NOT).
>
> In which I was referring to the numerous debates here and elsewhere
> about Apple being a hardware company or a software company or both.
>
> I think Steve made it clear here that they're all about the software.

He made it clear that systems today are software in pretty boxes (as
in the most important factor is software, in essence the human
interface)... that however says nothing about Apple not also making
those pretty boxes. Later (or earlier) he talks about making hardware
and building out the cloud (sometimes by partnering) to support the
software is Apple business model and strength.

As I have said in recent years Apple is a _solutions_ company which in
its current form is comprised of hardware, software, stuff in the
cloud (internet) and strong integration with digital devices (cameras,
etc.).

So personally I always saw the debate about hardware / software
company a pointless debate.

Now if you look at Apple's financials and talk in those terms Apple is
primarily a hardware company and likely will remain that way for the
foreseeable future.

-Shawn