Apple's Cheap Shot Against Microsoft

On Digg today, there is a link to Apple’s (AAPL) 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 a 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 (MSFT) 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.

Comments

[kkin365:]

Thanks for the expose. Cheap is one thing. Is it legal if done deliberately? omooc

2006 Oct 18 08:01 AM

[Julian Ivan...:]

Good lord get a grip and remover your sense-of-humour bypass. Lighten up a bit. Or maybe you're so frustrated at dealing with your virus-prone Windows installation that you just saw red and couldn't help yourself. Never mind; get a Mac next time, and then you can really afford to laugh at stories like this, rather than getting upset at them.

2006 Oct 18 08:25 AM

[Tom B:]

It was rude for APPL to take that shot. But they do have a point; if MSFT spent money on programmers instead of on Washington lobbyists and on taking IT cronies to lunch to get them to use MSFT products instead of LINUX or Macs, then Windows wouldn't be so rife with security holes and bugs.

2006 Oct 18 08:40 AM

[mrl14:]

Umm Viruses are pretty much non existent for mac...so not sure why you start your article off with that misleading line. And this specific virus has no affect on my mac either..so yeah this is Microsofts fault for creating a system that is so vulnerable to attacks and the virus scan companies who milk windows users for every penny they have on virus definition costs.

2006 Oct 18 11:14 AM

[Eddie Clark:]

I'm amazed Apple used such restraint in their comments. After all, they were good enough to make the iPod Windows compatible, as well as iTunes. And since none of the Macs using iPods or running iTunes are subject to these viruses, it's analagous to your neighbor letting his ill mannered dog crap on your lawn. If you think Apple has no viruses because it's market share doesn't attract any hackers, imagine the prestige a hacker would get who finally wrote one that did bring the Mac down. Imagine how many Microsoft shills, such as yourself, would trumpet it across the internet before the sun set. If you don't have or use Macs, you just don't get it. Many of us are forced to use PC trash at work, but choose to use Macs at home. Only if you use both can you truly see what a lousy copy of the Mac operating system Windows has cobbled together.

2006 Oct 18 03:59 PM

[Chris Gyor:]

"Considering the amount of money that Microsoft spends each year fighting these viruses, I think it’s hard to blame them for it. "

Well, I don't see how how it is hard to blame them at all.....writing pi$$ poor code is no one else's fault but Mircosoft's. Look, if you have a turd and dress it up in some nice clothes, at the end of the day, it is still a turd. Microsoft's OS is rotten at the gut level, like a rotten onion. Pull back the layers, and there it is....a moldy rotten mess. Apple is such the opposite of MS that I can't help but root for them ( and not cause of the silly commercials ). Elegance goes a long way my friend.

2006 Oct 18 09:00 PM

[Sarah Testa:]

This is bad bad news for companies' security. The threat endpoint devices pose is pretty scurry! GFI just issued an article in response to this Apple ipods shipping out with viruses issue... it's at: www.gfi.com/news/en/ip... - seems like threats are rising and keep on rising!

2006 Oct 25 08:25 AM