Apple versions were always worse and left holes open a lot longer. Normally MONTHS after Oracle patch them.
I am not talking about the latest and greatest. In terms of security Apple version lag way behind. If you want security and good security Apple is not your best choice.
I don't know about "always". I do know that this recent Apple/ Oracle hand shake leaves the most users shaking their heads and machines that have been updated unable to run what they need at work. Mainly because they are both involved in a more active way. Personally I'd rather be able to run stuff insecure than be left high and dry as some are now. Apple cut and ran and handed off to the parent company who is showing they are not up to the task yet. Apple should have left us at 6 with prefs and granularity. A full 7 upgrade then from Oracle with proper uninstallers should have happened.