[ViktorRay]

Steve Jobs himself said that Apple sees itself as a software company

https://youtu.be/dEeyaAUCyZs

The above link is a video where he mentions that.

It is true that Apple’s major software products like iOS and MacOS are only available on Apple’s own hardware. But the Steve Jobs justification for this (which he said in a different interview I can’t find right now so I will paraphrase) is that he felt Apple made the best hardware and software in the world so he wanted Apple’s customers to experience the best software on the best hardware possible which he felt only Apple could provide. (I wish I could find the exact quote.)

Anyway according to Steve Jobs Apple is a software first company.

[hinkley]

But Steve also clearly believed in Alan Kay's old aphorism:

If you care about software you have to make your own hardware.

I'll allow that perhaps Apple considers hardware a means to an end. But what an end.