Apple likes to control the entire stack of software and hardware for a coherent user experience. The iPhone is the key example, and the Apple TV has the same philosophy.

There’s more to it than that, however. If one wishes to provide supporting materials for a hardware design, one could certainly do worse than emulate Valve’s example.

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said his company will continue to bet on selling high-end custom hardware for its software products, even amidst a growing trend toward roomfuls of cheap, generic servers.