Over the past thirty years, the American Computer Corporation (ACA) has introduced personal computers, and in particular the bitmap display and the desktop metaphor, into the economy.

The ACA is a virtual company, composed of the following departments. The heyday for each department is given in parenthesis after the name of the real company that implements that virtual department.

• Research: Xerox (‘70s)

• Development: Apple (late ’70s/‘80s)

• Marketing: Microsoft (late ’80s/early ’90s¹)

• Distribution: Dell (‘90s/‘00s)

As a company’s market matures, it shifts its focus from research and development, to marketing, sales, and finally operations (including distribution). You can see this shift in the dates above.

¹ Microsoft, of course, continued to prosper beyond the ’90s, but not primarily as the marketing department of the ACA — the creation of the market for desktop window systems is complete.