The iPod Virus: Apple Arrogance
Recently, there was an outbreak of E. Coli in the United States- bags of spinach across the country were recalled and the questionable spinach was traced to a region in California. How would you have felt if you had E. Coli poisoning- or worse, died- and all the farmer responsible said, “There is E. Coli in our spinach and we are really upset that human bodies are not more strong and healthy to protect against these things.”
That’s what Apple just did.
Historically, Apple has been an arrogant company and its user community has at times been snarky. We are an elitist minority and usually, we like it that way. We claim that Macs are better and safer and so much cooler, so we are not being arrogant. We’re just giving you the truth.
Apple users can do what they like, but this is my message to the Apple corporation: Stop it. You have gone too far.
In September, an undisclosed number of Video iPods were sold with a Windows virus called RavMon.exe on them. This is a serious issue and one that should be dealt with swiftly and effectively. These things happen and the way to separate the great companies from the bad ones is to see how they respond.
Apple’s response was terrible. They said:
As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses
I’m sorry we broke in to your house, they say. You should have stronger locks.
There isn’t a hint of an apology on their page disclosing the issue, only an aloof sense surprise that people actually use Windows.
Wake up, Apple- your biggest cash cow is the iPod and most of them are used by Windows users. Insult them all you like in the Mac ads, but your iPod users are Windows users. And you just sold them a virus for $400.
Now that I got that out of the way, let us try to deal with the issue of the virus. If you bought a Video iPod after the 12th of September this year, you may have been sold a virus. I would recommend this free trial of McAfee anti virus which should deal with it. Make sure you run it with the iPod attached and scan any attached external drives. Then restore your iPod from iTunes (how to restore).
Apple has not yet disclosed a method of detecting whether your iPod is one of the problem iPods and I doubt they will, unless they smell a lawsuit. Public apologies, meaningful freebies and not being called a weakling is the least an infected paying customer should expect from a company like Apple. Right now, I feel embarrassed for being an Apple user and insulted for being an occasional Windows user.
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“If you are not a windows developer then i don’t think you should say anything” -macguy
Developers’ lax attitudes and some say, inexperiences contribute to this mess but let’s admit it, the Windows platform is not a Brinks armored truck to begin with.
Windows can be conveyed more as an oversized Swiss cheese on a hot, sunny, Alpine day. It is so hole-ridden that a mouse can hide and eat it out from the inside.
Now, look at the mouse as the crap that developers shoot at Windows consumers and you get the idea. The countless holes provide a safe haven for all these malware. Get it?
I develop test systems applications for my Win32 clients so I must know what I’m talking about. I run complete regression tests before I deploy my apps to make sure they comply to security tests.
“Your dooing it again” Beeble writes.
Yes I am, so what !
Example: Your going on a trip to a foreign country, let say Africa or maybe South America’s Amazon territory. You get infected with Malaria because you failed to get your inoculation shots. Who is to blame?
I don’t need to elaborate on this subject, nor do you. You want to compare on such a drastic level then lets play both edges of the sword. Your body is the computer, watch what you put into it(or hook up). No, the spinach didn’t have the infection written on the list of ingredients, so what. its a chance you take. Using Windows “IS A CHANCE YOU TAKE” is my point.
hey, can someone sue apple? please?
You get infected with Malaria because you failed to get your inoculation shots. Who is to blame?
We’re not talking about a virus in the wild that you just happen to pick up. We’re talking about a virus that someone GIVES you by handing it over to you.
If I give you a bag of spinach with e. coli in it that I’ve carelessly let become contaminated, it’s MY fault that you got e. coli, not yours for being vulnerable to it. To pass that responsibility onto the victim is the worst example of pathetic apologist shilling. The depths you guys sink to in order to defend Apple is really astonishing sometimes.
It seems that everyone here has missed the point of the initial criticism.
While I think it is perfectly fine to compare a computer to a human life since the whole virus vulnerability is exactly that kind of analogy in and of itself, the analogy used here in the article is quite poorly made.
Devanshu, you ask the question, “How would you have felt if you had E. Coli poisoning- or worse, died- and all the farmer responsible said, “There is E. Coli in our spinach and we are really upset that human bodies are not more strong and healthy to protect against these things.”
This is that part that is solely to evoke the emotional response from everyone here. It doesn’t play out because the response from Apple was not made in response to something so serious as a person’s death. If someone were actually injured I don’t think anyone would treat it so flippantly.
But we are talking about MP3 players and computer viruses so, while it may be on poor taste and bad business, it does not rise to the level of malfeasance that you illustrate.
Of course, Apple is completely at fault here. They should check their systems for viruses. To everyone that says that anyone on a Windows computer should be running anti-virus software I would say that includes the one Apple (or their partners) uses. But, they sent the defective product and they should make it right if it needs to be made right. I haven’t heard of anyone actually having problems with this as of yet. If it was me, I would blame myself and Apple for the problems.
I think the article here, and the subsequent discussion is blowing the thing way out of proportion.
A tale told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury and all that…
I agree totally with you Gabe, but it appears that some like to think like a one way street.
Beeble, I really think your are a bright individual when reading the majoity of your posts, but for some reason your opinions come across very biased, and yet you have nerve to accuse me of being, ummm I think you used the word sanctimonious. And then you post “Virus in the wild”, for some reason you insist on missing the point, yet you refer to me as being “obtuse”. This is a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black.
My opinion, wether it came across favoring Apple (through your eyes) or not was merely stating the anology was a bit extreme and getting blown WAY out of proportion. If you wish to offer your opinion, I am willing to listen without critic (Comments are in reference to the article, not a fellow poster). No where did I bash your opinion or try and belittle you, maybe you should do the same.
While I think it is perfectly fine to compare a computer to a human life since the whole virus vulnerability is exactly that kind of analogy in and of itself, the analogy used here in the article is quite poorly made.
Gabe, how can the analogy be both perfectly fine and yet quite poorly made? If it’s perfectly fine, which I think it is, then it’s perfectly fine. The analogy is not meant to equate human life with a computer product; it is meant to lay blame where one would place it in ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCE. And yet because this is Apple, the fanboys want to parse words or otherwise downplay the fact that Apple delivered a virus to unsuspecting users.
Of course, Apple is completely at fault here.
Exactly. All of the other hemming and hawing is superfluous.
And then you post “Virus in the wild”, for some reason you insist on missing the point, yet you refer to me as being “obtuse”
I said you were being DELIBERATELY obtuse. That means that you are deliberately sidetracking the analogy on the absurd basis that someone is trying to equate human life to a computer product, when you know full well that no one believes such a thing.
You then deliberately misconstrue that analogy to once again shift blame to Windows users and away from Apple:
“You get infected with Malaria because you failed to get your inoculation shots. Who is to blame?”
This conveniently leaves out the part where Apple hands you a bag filled with the malaria virus. That is entirely different than going out into the wild yourself and contracting it, which is what I mean by “virus in the wild.”
My opinion, wether it came across favoring Apple (through your eyes)
Hmmm, let’s see. You’re blaming Windows users for a virus that Apple delivered to them on Apple’s own product. I don’t think there’s any question where your loyalty lies.
Beeble writes “That means that you are deliberately sidetracking the analogy on the absurd basis that someone is trying to equate human life to a computer product, when you know full well that no one believes such a thing.”
I believe your comments are in reference with comment #10, third paragraph…..Did you miss the first part of that line when I said the article has merit(Blaming Apple), I think you did, I picked the writters comparison apart as you do in everybody’s comments line for line.
My comparison was poor (in your opinion) as I feel the writers comparison was poor.
Yes, Apple is to blame (I agree totally) for sending a virus in its own product, but don’t add insult to injury. If the virus actually caused harm to the end user then they are to blame as well. No matter what the case…no one person, business, group or ect. is to blame fully. Windows is the market share leader of operating systems, it is a well known target. The protection does not finish at initial installation, systems need to be scanned on a regular basis.
If the article was written to bash Apple’s quality control, which this is where most comments are leading, then that should have been the title. Being that is based solely on arrogancce and getting a formal apology from Apple, Apple did admit fault and thats an apology in itself.
“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 don’t feel Apple created the virus nor intentionally planted it. They are trying to do well by including support for other OS’s into the product which is more than I can say for other companies.
If the article was written to bash Apple’s quality control
It wasn’t. It was a critique of the fact that Apple blamed Microsoft FIRST even though Apple shipped the product with the virus on it.
Did you miss the first part of that line when I said the article has merit
No, I didn’t miss that small part of that one line in which you acknowledge that the article has “SOME” merit; out of a very long post shifting the blame entirely to everyone else, from Microsoft to the end users.
I gave it proportional consideration.
Apple did admit fault and thats an apology in itself.
No it isn’t. “I’m sorry we shipped you a virus” is an apology. A kind-of sort-of “we’re upset we didn’t catch it but really it’s your fault for running Windows” is NOT an apology in any way shape or form.
“I wonder if this idiotic principle holds true for the legions of Mac-tards who regularly criticize Windows for being so vulnerable. Are you out there telling them to shut up because they aren’t developers for Windows?”
We criticize because it’s obvious that it is vulnerable. It’s funny how you like to put names on others. Since when did i ever call anyone a retard yet you insist on a childish discussion? I’m telling people to shut-up about apple mentioning Microsoft. It was their mistake and i don’t deny that they should’ve been humble.
Again, just how serious is this virus exactly?
We criticize because it’s obvious that it is vulnerable.
Uh huh. Are you Windows developer? ‘Cause unless you’re a Windows developer, then you should shut the hell up. Isn’t that what you said?
Since when did i ever call anyone a retard yet you insist on a childish discussion?
I didn’t realize that telling people to shut the hell up for criticizing Apple was considered mature discussion. Duly noted.
And btw, a Mac-tard is not the same as a retard. A Mac-tard would be someone who, hypothetically speaking, tells people to shut the hell up if they bash Apple unless they’re a Windows developer, but holds no such standard for those who bash Windows.
I really hope no one read just this article and didn’t check the actual Apple page, because they would have come up with quite a different opinion then what actually is true.
They could have thought all (or most of) the video pods sold in September were affected, but none from October.
They could have thought that all Apple said was “video Ipods we aren’t going to tell you how many had a virus, and its Microsoft’s fault that it got it, and you should just live with it, cause we aren’t doing anything about it.
I am sorry to be rude, but purposefully deleting the 2nd half of the sentence was wrong and shows a deliberate lack of honesty, when it is followed up by “There isn’t a hint of an apology,” when in fact saying they were more upset with themselves could be considered a hint (a teeny one) of an apology.
There were also some number given - less than 1% of iPods sold since 9/12, and only 25 cases reported. And yeah it isn’t precise, but I am not sure they would know the exact number because who knows how many were connected to that one computer.
Oh and btw I am not sure arrogant is the word, Snarky is more like it. Apple has always been Snarky about windows - just look at the jibs on the Bootcamp page. They aren’t being any different then normal. and yeah it was probably inappropriate, but it was accurate statement.
Oh side note - My personal opinion, (I have nothing really to back it up but my imagination) is that the contractor running the computer for testing windows had no experience with anything but linux or mac, and so didn’t remember that such a thing as virii and trojans exist, and so wouldn’t remember to update the virus definitions.
And a light bulb appears, I get it now, how stupid of me, Jeeeeez, it took forty eight posts (on one feed) to see, You are at the top of the list, I keep forgetting this is your home, you can’t pick the articles apart due to fear, at-least not all of them, agree with them and bash other users, build posts and acquire recognition. Beeble you remind me of George Ou. (a journalist from another site)
Most of the forty eight comments reflect on how a journalist’s opinion is generaally in reference to half of the sentence (out of context) Apple printed, just like you pick HALF of the sentence on posts, but I keep forgetting if you didn’t and looked at the entire line with a non biased opinion you would not be able to build on the number of posts to keep you on top of the hill.
I’m not making an accusation here, but a curious question. “Are you the kid that got beat up in school all the time?” Nothing personal, I’m just trying to figure out all your arrogance and why you feel the need to condemn someone elses thoughts. The comments you post remind me of the subject.
How about a column “Beeble’s Arrogance” we could compare it to this article.
“we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it.” none of these analogies work at all. why? because up to date anti-virus software will remove the virus (which, since your fond of analogies, would be like your computer’s ‘immune system’, which would consequently neutralize the E.Coli and not make you sick at your $100/head steak house). So stop blowing this issue out of proportion. stop trying to be the benevolent mac user who is looking out for the interests of windows users everywhere. your position is a complete fake: windows users aren’t idiots, so stop painting them as helpless half-wits who don’t know how to use anti-virus software.