Apple Takes Cheap Shot Against Microsoft
October 17th, 2006 Davis Posted in Microsoft |
On Digg today, there is a link to Apple’s own web page where they admit to shipping “a small percentage” of their video iPods with the RavMonE.exe virus included on the device. Talk about PR nightmare. It’s bad enough that Apple has to run those super annoying ads where they try and get people to believe that viruses don’t exist if you have a Mac, but now they blow it big time by taking a page out of Sony’s book and actually infecting their customer’s computers with a known virus.
Normally, I would have been able to look at the announcement shake my head and walk away, but suprisingly, instead of issuing a humble mea culpa, Apple actually had the gall to try and shift the blame to Microsoft on the issue.
“As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it.”
I would certainly hope that they are upset with themselves over not catching it, but what I don’t understand is why they felt like they had to resort to name calling when Microsoft has absolutely nothing to do with this. Had Steve Jobs been better at competing in the 1980’s and 90’s, Apple would have been the dominant player in this space and they would have been targeted by the hacker community. Instead Apple developed a small cult following and the hackers went after Windows.
Considering the amount of money that Microsoft spends each year fighting these viruses, I think it’s hard to blame them for it. Hackers are smart and creative and for them to get Apple to ship a product from their own factory with a virus included, shows how resourceful they really are. Microsoft did not write the virus, distribute the virus or ignore the virus when it was pointed out to them, so I fail to see why Apple would be upset with Microsoft over their shipping hardware that was infected by a virus.
The Apple fanboys can line up and talk about how great the iPod is or how much Microsoft sucks, but it’s this exact arrogance that makes me never want to use Apple products no matter how good they are at marketing them. Looking at just a few comments on Digg, I’m glad that even the hardcore Appleheaded fanboys aren’t completely buying into this, but Apple should have stepped up said I’m sorry, that it was limited to a couple of video iPods and everyone would have been fine with it, but by putting Microsoft into their sights, it only guarantees that this story goes viral and that we see a backlash of criticism over the issue.
October 18th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
I think you have missed the point: there are no viruses on Mac, Linux, BSD etc operating systems that can propagate and damage data and/or other systems so easily as it is with Windows. The virus you mention would only harm Windows users! I’ve been using unix based systems for about 3 years now and *haven’t seen a virus yet*. I dont run any antivirus software either.
If you take a moment and think about it: what Apple says about viruses - it’s actually true. There are really no known, effective viruses for Mac (or any other computer system besides Windows). The virus can damage *only* Windows computers. Windows was not built for Internet age, with security in mind; a fact that most people don’t want to understand. Windows is actually a single-user system, if you compare it with other systems.
PS. I dont use Apple products myself.
October 18th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
Cry me a river over your sorry windows software. If Micosoft wasnt so full of holes maybe it would float!! The ipods had windows software on them that that is what had the virus. No Apple system has had a virus, no Apple software has had a virus. There are not now nor have their been viruses on a mac or mac formatted ipods. I did find it funny that the underlined section referencing mac viruses was about hacking, which is just a bit different. But heres a brain buster, if there are viruses for a mac as so many microsoft uses say…….NAME ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 18th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Tanel - I think that you might be missing the point. I’m not disputing that Windows has more problems with viruses then Macs. We know that. I’d argue that part of this is because Windows is more popular then Macs, but that isn’t the real issue here. The real issue is that Apple blew it big time and instead of stepping up and taking personal responsibility for their mistake, they instead choose to fire a cheap shot at Microsoft. If Apple wants to take out ads bashing Microsoft that is their right, but this was hardly the place to do it and it makes them look bad for trying to shift the blame when it was their own company that shipped the iPods with the virus attached.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Michael - Spoken like a true fan boy. Here is a whole site dedicated to helping stop Apple hacks and viruses.
http://www.macvirus.org/
All computers have vulnerabilities whether these are software, hardware or socially engineered. If you want to blindly believe that you can go willy nilly around the internet without having to worry about putting your computer at risk then I will have no sympathy for you when you do catch an internet STD.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
Davis - I think you added in a cheap shot of your own at Apple, by suggesting that there are viruses for the Mac. To date, there have been NO viruses seen in the wild for OS-X. None. Even the so-called reports of viruses have been found to have been false as they have involved the owner of the computer not taking basic simple steps like creating a password for their account. When you make a statement like “It’s bad enough that Apple has to run those super annoying ads where they try and get people to believe that viruses don’t exist if you have a Mac”, you are spreading misinformation that simply isn’t true.
I’ll give you that Apple’s response went over the line. I was shocked when I read it as well. But your comment about viruses on the Mac will get every Apple fan upset because of it being blatantly false.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Sorry Uncle Miltie - I disagree. I’ve seen plenty of stories about vulnerabilities on Macs and whether it’s a virus or a careless user, it’s still naive to think that any operating system can’t be compromised. We can split hairs over what constitutes a virus, stupid user behavior and which operating systems are more prone then others, but it doesn’t negate my underlying point that Apple took a cheap shot at Microsoft.
I will admit that I took a cheap shot at the Mac, but then I’m not responsible for shipping hardware to customers and infecting their computers with equipment. Instead of using their failure as a PR opportunity, Apple should have done the right thing and apologize.
October 18th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
You appear to be in denial over the reasons for Micrososft’s virus vulnerabilities. Stating how much they are spending on the problem avoids their responsibility to produce a more secure OS. They’ve let their house of cards grow to enormous proportions without a revising the fundamentals in an effort to provide compatibility. Also, you’re wrong about viruses effecting OS X; there are none in 5 years. Here is another’s reasons why it’s not the obscurity of the Macs in the PC market that keeps Macs safe. I suggest you read it with an open mind.
” Obscurity has nothing to do with market share or the installed user systems share. Apple is one of the LEAST OBSCURE computer systems, and offers the one of the most tempting targets for malware creators. This is no secret to hackers.
Temptation #1 - Taunting - Never in the history of computing devices has any other computer manufacturer been so brazen about its security as to advertise it to so many around the world. This level of taunting is like twisting a dagger into the hearts of hackers.
Temptation #2 - Transparent - Apple utilizes far more open-source code than Microsoft. This code is not only in user systems, but is also found in Apple’s servers and super-computer grid configurations. All of Mac’s core operating system, BSD UNIX, is freely available for use and inspection for vulnerabilities.
Temptation #3 - Vulnerable - Over 95% of the Mac OS X users do NOT use ANY malware protection software. In fact, corporate-owned Apple systems, from in-store demo units to the staff at Cupertino, do not use any such software. They rely upon the innate security of the OS alone.
Temptation #4 - Fame - To be the first to create a successful, self propagating virus or to take control of a Mac for the use of being an unwitting spam generator would bring tremendous international notoriety; the Holy Grail of programming. Apple’s public announcement of being virus-free makes this challenge impossible to ignore by many hackers.
There isn’t a hacker out there that isn’t aware of Apple’s use of open source programming, their lack of virus protection software, and their arrogant public taunting of criminals. The general population still dwells within their vast herd of false security and myths, having yet to experience a Mac for themselves and view Apple as being an obscure computer system. But, for the hackers, they clearly see it, they are very well aware of it… but can’t touch it. For them, Mac OS X is far from obscure.”
October 18th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
You wrote:
“Had Steve Jobs been better at competing in the 1980’s and 90’s, Apple would have been the dominant player in this space and they would have been targeted by the hacker community.”
Of course, I’m sure this was just an oversight on your part, but Steve Jobs didn’t work for Apple from 1985 to 1997. He was booted less than a year after the Mac first shipped. So, Apple’s failure to effectively compete can be laid at the feet of those who kicked SJ out of the company.
October 18th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
You’re wrong. Apple did take a shot at Microsoft, but not *instead* of taking responsibility. They did both. It’s a smart move. And it has the added virtue of being true. Windows is *more* vulnerable to viruses. If that’s because there are (infinitely) more of them out there, so be it.
As far as your refusal to use Apple boxes because you think the marketing is smarmy, okay. I mean, if that’s what you base your buying on, fine. Meanwhile, most reasonable users are going to figure out which system works best for them. No reason to get angry at the small group of people who like Macs.
October 18th, 2006 at 7:14 pm
Boylin - There have clearly been instances where the Mac has been hacked. I admit that Microsoft has many more problems with this, but that wasn’t why I wrote the post. I wrote the post because Apple took a cheap shot at a competitor when the real issue was their shiping hardware to their customers that infects their machines.
Dan - A very valid point. Well Noted.
Big Ben - We all have our own reasons for why or why we don’t buy products from certain companies. I don’t buy from Apple because I want my software to be able to work on my hardware and I don’t want to overpay for a slick user interface. Apple did not take responsibility for their action, they used the snide comment about Microsoft as a way to deflect the attention and criticism away from their own failure. It’s their smugness and the unrelenting blind devotion by the Apple Fanboys despite Apple screwing up big time on this one that makes this jab at Microsoft seem so inapprorpriate.
October 18th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
I take it you use windows davis?
I have to comment on this quote:
“It’s bad enough that Apple has to run those super annoying ads where they try and get people to believe that viruses don’t exist if you have a Mac,”
well that virus doesn’t exist on a mac, it appears as nothing more then a non-executable file big deal. And in my opinion it is windows fault. It was a machine at the hard drive manufacturing plant in china that had the virus that put it on these ipods during production. If it wasn’t a machine running microsoft windows in the manufacturing plant then this virus would have never gotten on the ipod hard dirves. So you see it is microsofts fault. Fix your damn holes already microsoft. Enjoy your virus ridden OS Mr. freeberg. you come off as a windows fanboy just as much as any apple fanboy.
October 19th, 2006 at 2:39 am
“…and I don’t want to overpay for a slick user interface”
no vista upgrade for you, then?
October 19th, 2006 at 3:14 am
overpay?
he may want to price out a comparable dell, oh and don’t forget the cost of the preinstalled software