Fifteen years ago, when the time became ripe for post-PC devices that put a premium on integrating software and hardware, Apple was the best-positioned company to lead the charge — and it did. The company’s vertical integration, its attention to detail and innovation in both software and hardware, and its willingness to make big bets, gave it an edge. And it used that edge to reel off its now-familiar string of game-changing products like the iPod, the iPhone, the MacBook Air and the iPad.
Source: Mossberg: Can Apple win the next tech war? | The Verge