The PC managed to stay vital longer because it was a more general-purpose machine--exciting new applications were invented for it on a regular basis.

FORBES: Another Bite Of The Apple

Capt Gary Palmer, of the Infantry Battle School based in Brecon, Powys, told the inquest it was believed Ranger Maguire was killed by a shot fired from a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) by a fellow soldier.

BBC: Ranger Michael Maguire

It's possible, we guess, though such a tablet would be counter to the arguments made at the iPad launch where Jobs and Co praised the device for being purpose-built to excel at specific tasks -- TechCrunch's device sounds like a general purpose machine.

ENGADGET: Apple iPad rumor roundup: Abraham Zapruder edition

Money is a widely distributed machine whose purpose is to compute the value of goods and services.

FORBES: Magazine Article

At AgilOne, Artun has created a general purpose infrastructure that uses machine learning to achieve goals similar to the ones just described.

FORBES: AgilOne: How Machine Learning Can Restore Customer Intimacy

The purpose was, in part, to help train their machine algorithms to detect real names versus fake names and real account versus spam and fake accounts.

FORBES: Facebook Stops Asking Users To 'Snitch' On Friends With Fake Names

The best known of such incidents was that involving the sale by Toshiba and Kongsberg of advanced machine tools and enabling software to the USSR for the purpose of producing extremely quiet submarine propellers.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

"I feel a device like Wii U, with its ability to continue to offer new features and that network connection and the connection to the TV and the interface, really makes it feel that it's more than just a game machine, but something that offers a lot of practical use and practical purpose in the living room, " he said.

CNN: 'Mario,' 'Zelda' creator says give the Wii U time