"With bundled machines you can throw away the hardware and keep the software, and it's still a good buy"

Adam Osborne’s statement explores the shifting value between hardware and software in the evolution of computing technology. During the early personal computer era, companies often sold both hardware (the physical machines) and software (the programs, operating systems, and utilities) as a bundled product. Traditionally, the hardware was seen as the primary asset, with software as a secondary add-on. Osborne challenges this perception, emphasizing that, in certain cases, the worth of the software can outlast and even outweigh the value of the physical device.

Hardware, over time, becomes obsolete as technology rapidly advances. Processors get faster, storage increases, and the capabilities of new machines far surpass those of their predecessors. However, software, especially that which is innovative, capable, and well-written, can remain useful and valuable across successive generations of hardware, provided it is portable or can be adapted. In Osborne’s view, the real utility and advantages come from what the user can do with the system, which is defined mainly by the software they have access to.

By saying you can discard the hardware but keep the software and still have “a good buy,” Osborne implies that enduring value lies in the tools and capabilities the software grants. The experience, productivity, and creativity enabled by robust software often offer more lasting benefit than the physical components, which can quickly lose monetary and functional value. Good software, moreover, can often be migrated to better, newer hardware, extending its usefulness over time.

This perspective was particularly prescient, foretelling trends where software would not only drive hardware sales but also become platforms and ecosystems in themselves. It highlights a key evolution in technological appreciation, the recognition of the software layer as the real engine of innovation and utility, compelling users to reconsider where true value in computing resides.