Development Tools, Operating Systems & Utilities Software
Description
Companies in this industry design and publish development tools, operating systems, and utilities software. Major companies include Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Red Hat, and Symantec (all based in the US), as well as Avast Software (Czech Republic) and Trend Micro (Japan).
Although the US dominates the global operating systems market, underserved markets outside of North America, Japan, and Western Europe hold the greatest potential for software sales growth.
Companies that make development tools, operating systems, and utilities software are a subset of the overall software industry, which is covered in a separate profile.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand is driven by sales of computing devices, including desktop and notebook PCs, tablets, and smart phones, which are tied to personal income levels and business profits. The profitability of individual companies depends on technical expertise and effective marketing. Large companies have advantages in development, marketing, and distribution resources. Small software companies compete by focusing on niche applications or emerging technologies. The US software industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 70% of revenue.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Major products include published system software and published applications software, both accounting for about 40%, each. Other revenue sources also include operating software publishing. Operating systems and utilities are also known as systems software, a term that differentiates them from application software such as productivity programs and games.
Operating system (OS) software manages hardware and applications on computers and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Popular computer operating systems include Microsoft Windows, UNIX, and UNIX variants such as BSD, Linux, and Apple's OS X. Microsoft remains the predominant provider of operating systems for personal computers; versions of its Windows OS run the vast majority of desktop PCs. Versions of Windows, UNIX, and Linux are all widely used to run servers. Leading mobile operating systems include iOS (developed by Apple), Android (Google), and Windows Phone (Microsoft). Operating system software used to control cars, consumer electronics, appliances and other devices that are not generally viewed as computers is called embedded software.
Utility programs are applications that improve the hardware and software performance of computing devices. Common examples include antivirus programs, data compression tools, file backup and management applications, hard disk defragmenters, network utilities, storage management programs, and systems profilers. Although some utility programs are sold as standalone products, many are bundled with security software suites and preinstalled on computers.
Programmers use development tools to create and improve computing systems and applications. Source code editors are designed to automate and simplify writing and editing code. Other common tools include debuggers used to test and correct code and compilers that translate programming language into machine code that can be executed by computer processors. Many development tools are open-source and available for free.
Although the US dominates the global operating systems market, underserved markets outside of North America, Japan, and Western Europe hold the greatest potential for software sales growth.
Companies that make development tools, operating systems, and utilities software are a subset of the overall software industry, which is covered in a separate profile.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand is driven by sales of computing devices, including desktop and notebook PCs, tablets, and smart phones, which are tied to personal income levels and business profits. The profitability of individual companies depends on technical expertise and effective marketing. Large companies have advantages in development, marketing, and distribution resources. Small software companies compete by focusing on niche applications or emerging technologies. The US software industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 70% of revenue.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Major products include published system software and published applications software, both accounting for about 40%, each. Other revenue sources also include operating software publishing. Operating systems and utilities are also known as systems software, a term that differentiates them from application software such as productivity programs and games.
Operating system (OS) software manages hardware and applications on computers and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Popular computer operating systems include Microsoft Windows, UNIX, and UNIX variants such as BSD, Linux, and Apple's OS X. Microsoft remains the predominant provider of operating systems for personal computers; versions of its Windows OS run the vast majority of desktop PCs. Versions of Windows, UNIX, and Linux are all widely used to run servers. Leading mobile operating systems include iOS (developed by Apple), Android (Google), and Windows Phone (Microsoft). Operating system software used to control cars, consumer electronics, appliances and other devices that are not generally viewed as computers is called embedded software.
Utility programs are applications that improve the hardware and software performance of computing devices. Common examples include antivirus programs, data compression tools, file backup and management applications, hard disk defragmenters, network utilities, storage management programs, and systems profilers. Although some utility programs are sold as standalone products, many are bundled with security software suites and preinstalled on computers.
Programmers use development tools to create and improve computing systems and applications. Source code editors are designed to automate and simplify writing and editing code. Other common tools include debuggers used to test and correct code and compilers that translate programming language into machine code that can be executed by computer processors. Many development tools are open-source and available for free.
Table of Contents
- Industry Overview
- Quarterly Industry Update
- Business Challenges
- Business Trends
- Industry Opportunities
- Call Preparation Questions
- Financial Information
- Industry Forecast
- Web Links and Acronyms
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