Hardware and software: difference explained in an understandable way

The difference between hardware and software is that hardware physically exists and software is responsible for concrete ways of functioning.

The difference between hardware and software

In the world of technology, the terms “hardware” and “software” are often used to describe the two basic components of computers, smartphones and other electronic devices. But what exactly is behind these terms that form the foundation of the digital world?

• Hardware includes all the physical components of a computer or electronic device. Examples include processors, graphics cards, monitors, keyboards and computer mice.

• Software, in contrast, refers to the programmes, applications and data that run on the hardware. Examples include operating systems such as Windows, word processing programs or web browsers.

• The main difference is that hardware are physical objects that you can touch, while software are intangible digital instructions and data.

• Hardware is the foundation for software because these programs and data must be executed on hardware.

• The difference can be explained even more clearly using the example of the “smartphone”. The hardware of a smartphone consists of processor, display, camera, battery, etc. The applications running on it (Facebook, WhatsApp, games) are software that make up the functionality of the smartphone.