The bigger its software ecosystem gets, the more customers Apple can attract.
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However, with Windows Phone and Windows 8, Microsoft will have a tightly integrated software ecosystem which will be aimed at both consumers and enterprises.
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Mashing up TV with the iOS software ecosystem will surely lead to some interesting results (Netflix, tellingly, already has apps for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch).
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For ISVs, Microsoft also announced commercial opportunities on Windows Azure for its massive software partner ecosystem.
There is a level of customisation on the look and feel that manufactures can apply (such as the TouchWiz UI from Samsung and SenseUI from HTC) but these do not have a material impact on the software or ecosystem the handset ties into.
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Microsoft struggles in part because it created the blueprint for software innovation and the ecosystem business.
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But the winners will be the ones that can tie their tablets to a broad ecosystem of software and services.
In the modern age of consumer electronics, it takes content and an entire ecosystem of software and services to keep customers locked in and buying your gear.
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"We believe in the strength of that ecosystem, of software and hardware companies that work together to deliver selection and choice, " Mr. Ballmer said.
The advantage to the closed approach is obvious to Apple itself: it ensures that they get a cut of any software that operates in their ecosystem.
Intel is announcing a broad all-in-one computing ecosystem, with games, other software for tabeltop PC.
FORBES: CES: Intel Unveils Tablets, Phones, Laptops, Convertibles
Two of the most important factors behind smartphone software success are browser experience and the apps ecosystem.
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Like open source software, he defines the SVSC as an ecosystem of mentors and young entrepreneurs that can learn from each other and ratchet up the entrepreneurial effectiveness of the region.
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And the Valley boasts an unparalleled ecosystem of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and software developers who regularly spawn innovative services.
It has the better software features, the stellar screen, and the unstoppable ecosystem.
In a statement, Bluestacks head Rosen Sharma said its software was helping to "break open" the closed ecosystem surrounding Apple's computers.
BBC: Android apps to run on Apple Macs via Bluestacks program
Apple has always maintained a closed ecosystem and insists on making its own hardware and software.
Independent software developers who create those apps are feasting in the Apple ecosystem.
The ability to quickly search for and instantaneously deliver new software to our mobile devices is a central feature in this new ecosystem.
Heck -- even Apple, the most famously-closed ecosystem in the entire technology industry, decouples hardware from software insomuch that Macs are released on a timetable completely unrelated to that of Mac OS and can be upgraded -- at a cost -- for many years, at the owner's leisure.
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While Apple's tightly controlled ecosystem offers little room for customization, Google's Android software is far more malleable, providing latitude for Facebook and handset makers to shape the user experience.
With a comprehensive set of ARM and ARM partner development tools and simulation models already available to enable faster and easier software development, both processors are fully compatible with the extensive ARM 32-bit ecosystem and integral to the rapidly evolving ARM 64-bit ecosystem.
By providing this secure environment for multiple silicon, software and device manufacturing partners, the joint venture will enable greater operational efficiency across the ecosystem and the industry as a whole.
The Intel Learning Series brings together a strong ecosystem of PC manufacturers, operating system vendors, education service providers, content and software providers to deliver a complete, end-to-end education solution.
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Although conventional wisdom would have you believe that Apple's hell-bent on forcing the iTunes-iPod-iPhone ecosystem down your throat, it's really quite easy to use all kinds of other software and hardware with iTunes.
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