Earlier quoted context omitted.
In terms of profits, yes. But many of us don't buy Apple for the hardware, but because we want to stay in their software ecosystem. I'd rather use a Nexus running iOS than an iPhone X running Android, and I'm even more invested in macOS. That Apple builds nice hardware is a bonus for me (but I'd honestly prefer better software right now). I mean, on paper Apple is making more money from hardware than from software, b…
Apple has been very serious about how they’re a hardware company vs a software company for like 30+ years now. Literally the first thing SPJ did after coming back was kill the Mac clones program. They’re obsessed with the feel of the hardware in every way. The software is just a platform.
That's because the clones were cannibalizing Apple's own hardware offerings - the clones were gradually putting Apple out of its own business.
This NYT article from 1996 talked about how the Mac clone strategy was playing out for Apple [0].
[0] https://partners.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/1230macs.htm...