Winner, Business Management & Accounting category in 2006 Professional Scientific Publishing Annual Awards Competition / presented by the Association of American Publishers, Inc. Winner, Business Management & Accounting category in 2006 Professional Scientific Publishing Annual Awards Competition / presented by the Association of American Publishers, Inc. software platforms are the invisible engines that have been created, touched, or change almost every major industry examining the last quarter century. Invisible Machine business dynamics and strategies used by companies that recognize the transformative power unleashed by a new revolution? a revolution that will change industries both new and old. The authors argue that to understand the success of software platforms, we first must understand their role as a meeting place where the application of technology developers and end users meet. Apple, Microsoft, and Google, for example, little or no cost developers to use their platforms and make most of their money from end users, Sony PlayStation and other game consoles, by contrast, subsidize users and make more money from developers, who pay royalties for access to the code they need to write the game. Offering a detailed study of personal computers, video game consoles, personal digital assistants, smart phones, and digital media industry software platforms, focusing on business decisions made by industry players to drive profits and stay a step ahead of competition.