A simple analogy would be that operating system software could be likened to the frame, motor, chassis, wheels and other components of an automobile, while application software would represent the steering wheel, seats, dashboard and gauges, and passenger comfort controls such as heat and air conditioning of the car.

In some types of embedded systems, the application software and the operating system software may be indistinguishable, such as in the case of the software used to control a VCR, DVD player or Microwave oven.

Some examples of application software include: