I think the point of the article is to say, "You can't buy Apple's great software without paying for Apple's great hardware, but you can purchase Apple's great hardware, and still put someone else's software in there. Therefor, Apple is primarily a hardware company."

I would say instead, that Apple is a device company. Even though you can purchase Apple's hardware, it comes bundled with their software, no matter what, and if you want to purchase their software, you can only put it on their hardware.

The only device which you can put someone else's software on (disregarding linux on the ipod) is MS Windows on a Macintosh. You can't (with Apple's approval) put windows on Apple TV, iPods, or, the iPhone.

Apple is about the complete package. They prefer to design their own hardware, build their own software for their hardware, and build there own applications for their own OS.

The moral of the story: Apple, makes phenomenal products, does not play well with others.

Apple's not a hardware company. Apple is, primarily, a software company. They just make money on hardware.

Steve Jobs said in a keynote recently (quoting Alan Kay), "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware." That is, essentially, Apple's philosophy.

Point taken, but they make some pretty impressive software for a hardware company.

i wish Apple was strictly a hardware company. they produce absolutely brilliantly engineered devices, it's a shame that they go to such extreme lengths to prevent people from putting their own software on them.