Apple has always first and foremost been a hardware seller. The software exists mainly to encourage and promote hardware sales. This is in part due to the relatively lower availability of software for windows. It's easy to name just a handful of key pieces of software that have helped put Apple where they are today, many of which were cheap, or free:
- AppleSoft BASIC
- HyperCard
- VisiCalc
- AppleWorks
- Lotus 123
- MS Office
- FileMaker
- Developer Tools
- Final Cut
- Logic
- iTunes
- iPhoto
