Apple Employees Denying Computer Virus

[JB3]

"And its built-in defenses help keep you safe from other malware"

That's bullshit and you know it Corny. It doesn't say 'It's built-in defenses keep you completely safe from other malware.', now does it? You also conveniently left off the end of the post, which was the whole purpose for that statement to begin with.

As a matter of fact it says EXACTLY the opposite, and I SHOWED you that in what I posted. So how about you stop ignoring what I've posted and admit you were wrong in your original post.

 

[Corny]

yes .. games with words. they have to leave a route of escape, or otherwise anybody could sue their ass. doesn't change a thing about the fact that they constantly advertise their supposed immunity against malware and virii. not to mention all the fanboys who bring this up as the #1 argument in any debate.

 

[MindBlast]

^And none of that is even that relevant, because the problem I have with Apple is that they INSTRUCTED THEIR STORE EMPLOYEES TO DENY IT!

I can definitely understand saying "we can't help you". It's not really their problem someone installed malware. However, they should acknowledge that the malware exists. Online is not the same as in person.

 

[Corny]

they are getting better: new variant doesn't need admin password
http://blog.intego.com/2011/05/25/i...ard-doesnt-require-password-for-installation/

 

[bankside]

^And none of that is even that relevant, because the problem I have with Apple is that they INSTRUCTED THEIR STORE EMPLOYEES TO DENY IT!

I can definitely understand saying "we can't help you". It's not really their problem someone installed malware. However, they should acknowledge that the malware exists. Online is not the same as in person.

I agree.

"You caused a problem we can't help you with," is a very different message than "No problem exists...these are not the droids you're looking for..."

 

[TimT2011]

10.6.8 should be out soon, and it is supposed to remove the known variants of it, including the more recent ones that may not be removable by the methods Apple outlined in it's support article mentioned in a previous post.

It's also a good idea to uncheck "Open 'safe' files after downloading" in Safari's general Preference pane.

I don't agree at all how Apple initially dealt with this issue, but it also frustrates me that any Mac user could get bit by this.

I have repeated so many times to my Mac friends not to go hunting for an antivirus, it's not needed now--maybe someday, but not yet. However, I'm finding Norton and other crap on their computers messing things up.

I even had an a fellow iPad user ask me what anti-virus he could be running on it.

 

[andysayshi]

Software update for Mac OS X now available (finally) via Software Update. It protects from MacDefender malware and any known variants, and will remove it if you already managed to install it.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4657

And it doesn't even need a restart.

 

[GameOver]

lol macs are for hipsters

Why people buy them has always confused me.

 

[maxpowr9]

GameOver, I believe Macs are better for beginners.

PCs, especially when troubleshooting, call for a higher level of expertise. And, let's face it—the average beginner doesn't fully understand the seriousness of the virus problem.

I was sitting in starbucks one time just casually reading a book and this woman at the table across from me is just freaking out all of a sudden looking at her PC. She leans over and asks me if you know how to start a PC (windows) in safe mode. I get up and do it for her so she could recover her work safely and just the pure delight on her face made me feel good. I guess that is how PC techs sometimes feel when they fix someone's PC. I probably could have diagnosed her PC troubles and potentially fixed it if I wanted to (I ♥ my Droid) but she was just happy to recover her work.

That story was somewhat related to the topic. Another geek saving the world one PC at a time!

 

[GameOver]

GameOver, I believe Macs are better for beginners.

PCs, especially when troubleshooting, call for a higher level of expertise. And, let's face it—the average beginner doesn't fully understand the seriousness of the virus problem.

I suppose you are correct. Macs are better for beginners because they are simple, lack compatibility, lack essential features, lack customization and lack functionality. So in a sense they are like a learn-the-basics for when that person finally buys a full computer, a PC

 

[bronxroundbooty]

This is why I only do PCs and Microsoft, unless it is my iPhone/iPad.

 

[andysayshi]

As usual, the flame wars always begin with misinformation.

I suppose you are correct. Macs are better for beginners because they are simple,

Perhaps.

lack compatibility,

With what? With Windows stuff? Just install Windows on your Mac. MS Office, Adobe - most of the big formats are fully cross compatible.

lack essential features,

Nonsense. Like what?

lack customization

More nonsense. A Mac Pro case is the BEST engineered case for customization I've ever used.

and lack functionality.

Triple nonsense. What functionality?

 

[bankside]

It really depends on the user's preferences.

Some people like a customizable case or whatever. To me, the PC approach says "We couldn't figure out what you need. You try. Good luck!" whereas the Mac approach says "We've thought of everything. Enjoy!"

If a person has some need to do these things themselves, great. I don't. Or rather, when I did, I found I was trying to customize a PC to approximate what a Mac does out of the box.

And most computer cases are not all that important to me. I like most of the mac cases. I like, or at least I'm indifferent to most of the stock PC cases. But people, on at least one of these threads, have hyped the so-called superior custom PC case, which to me looks frankly like a cheeseball artifact that would last be seen in the "PC cases of walmart" image series. Some of you are waaaaay to captivated by neon...for my tastes....

 

[seven2go]

whereas the Mac approach says "We've thought of everything. Enjoy!"

so you don't have to think for yourselves........just hand over your money and we'll tell you what you need and what to do.......


(I couldn't help myself....... )

 

[MindBlast]

This wasn't supposed to be a versus thread.

But while we're at it, Apple's cases are really shitty for extreme cooling (talking about desktop machines here). CoolerMaster, Corsair, and Antec all make far superior cases.

That said, all major prebuilt manufacturer cases are awful. Dell, Apple, HP, Acer, etc. Not ONE of them knows how to make a good case.

 

[andysayshi]

I suggest to you that Macs are almost certainly better for that very large mass of people—people who don't yet understand viruses, or don't even know what a Registry is, and so on. PCs really are for intermediate and higher users, while you could say Linux is for experts.

While you may be very right, Johann, I'd like to point out that Macs definitely are NOT just the choice of beginners! Forgive my digression from the topic at hand for this one post:

I work in television, and I'm typing this from my hotel room in Brisbane, Australia, where I've been a production coordinator for a major convention. It's my job to design and install the technology that runs this multi-million dollar production, and my team are seasoned professionals.

The front-of-house video rig for this production contains a lot of proprietary technology, but also 8 commercial computers. One is a Linux-based proprietary software system driving the lighting system. Six are Mac Book Pros, used for various applications - Apple Keynote (it's like Microsoft Powerpoint on steroids - a beautiful, professional app that does slick, tasteful animations easily and reliably). Macs are also used for music playback and on-demand HD digital video playback. One computer is a Windows based Toshiba laptop, which is there to run Microsoft Powerpoint, in the rare situation that a presenter has a PPT presentation that can't be converted to Apple Keynote for some reason.

So, at dinner tonight I asked the head tech, and also one of the TV producers here, why they use Mac over Windows. Their answers support my own experience: reliability and stability; durability of the hardware in a harsh production environment; and much better software for this type of production.

This is not isolated - Macs are the prevalent computers used in live production, video editing, audio engineering etc etc worldwide. I spend a lot of my time designing HD broadcast motion graphics, which is one of the most extremely CPU intensive roles you can ask of a computer.

Now, clearly, Windows machines have distinct advantages to other people and other professions. Gamers, modders and tinkerers should never buy Macs. Budget-conscious beginners who just want to surf the web probably shouldn't either. Corporations that need dozens of simple systems running Word or Excel wouldn't need to pay the premium for Macs.

But make no mistake - the ridiculous statements above about functionality, customization, essential features and compatibility, are just nonsense. Millions of Macs are used extensively in professional environments, by professionals, every day. Professionals who need performance, reliability, quality software, cross-platform compatibility, and customisation capabilities.

 

[andysayshi]

This wasn't supposed to be a versus thread.

But while we're at it, Apple's cases are really shitty for extreme cooling (talking about desktop machines here). CoolerMaster, Corsair, and Antec all make far superior cases.

That said, all major prebuilt manufacturer cases are awful. Dell, Apple, HP, Acer, etc. Not ONE of them knows how to make a good case.

Sorry to participate in the thread de-railing.

I'm interested in the cooling issue - what makes other desktop cases better than a Mac Pro case? It has great air flowthrough and excellent cooling. In fact, Apple were one of the first major manufacturers to release a liquid-cooled desktop system in earlier G5 computers.

I'm keen on hearing your perspective.

 

[MindBlast]

It's missing the large diameter low RPM fans that don't annoy the shit out of you when you're flogging your graphics card to its limit.

Liquid cooling is another story, I was talking about standard cooling. With liquid cooling the case design is not as big of a deal.

 

[andysayshi]

That's fair enough, but I guess it relates to the lower level of hard-core GPU installations on Macs. However, there's quite a decent sized GPU Mod community for the Mac, who do custom installations of higher end GPU cards and associated cooling. In older Mac G5s, which ran really hot, there were 9 fans of various diameters - I suspect the current models are adequately cooled for their typical applications.

As a motion graphics designer, I run my Mac Pros VERY hard, but it's CPU power, of course, which have massive heatsinks and don't typically run as hot as GPUs. It'll be interesting to see what happens after this month's release of the new Final Cut Pro. It's the first video editing software to fully implement OpenCL, a means of directly sourcing the GPUs processing power for video processing. This'll encourage high end video GPU purchases by video professionals, so we might see better software support from GPU manufacturers, and Apple needing to address better cooling capabilities.

 

[JB3]

LOL! Predictable. A typical response... Macs do lack great functionality. But then again, I guess some are fine spending $1,200-$1,500 on a machine that has a $70 graphics card.

You can't customize a Mac the way you can customize a PC. And a Mac Pro case is not the best engineered case. We've already been through this one many times.

What functionality? Give us a list please.