Apple Ending Support for QuickTime For Windows, Users Should Uninstall

[arkmannj]

It's rather sad to see the demise of QT on all platforms. I still love using it in Windows (QT Pro even) and still use QT 7 pro on Mac often.

 

[Gasu E.]

So, let me get this straight. The department that keeps us safe from terrorist is issuing a warning to users because Apple won't fix old software, but the FBI knows a flaw in old IPhone software and keeps it secret to protect us from... Wait for it.... Terrorist. Lol

It makes perfect sense if you actually think it through logically, and don't just spew a lot of similar-sounding words into a forum post.

 

[MacBH928]

What is the point of QuickTime? There was always other media players IIRC unless you are talking about 1992. What was special about it? I just remember the cool 3D panorama . It was extremely cool back in the day although not used much.


So what happens now to .mov files? I have some, but will VLC one day drop support? Shall I convert?

 

[Doc C]

They haven't required a local installation of QuickTime for a while now.


As if AoE2 doesn't still have a healthy player base.

Is there a (playable) version for the Mac?
or a playable version of any of those games (Civilization, etc)?
I am on 13" Air, so graphics capabilities are less-than-awesome....
[doublepost=1460733313][/doublepost]

doesn't seem like much of a loss.

Do people still voluntarily use QuickTime?
I thought VLC was pretty much the gold standard right now (and for the rare file it can't play, just use HandBrake to convert it...)
[doublepost=1460733430][/doublepost]

I think the decline in Apple logo design coincides with the dismissal of Scott Forstall Craig Federighi. While it might be true that it was time for skeuomorphism to go by the wayside, Forstall Federighi wasn't a one-trick pony. Had he remained at Apple, Scott Craig would have ushered in new, modern software designs that Playskool Jony can only dream about.

EDIT: Thanks for everyone who politely pointed out that I had confused Craig Federighi with Scott Forstall.

This is an interesting thought - What is Forstall working on now?
[doublepost=1460733681][/doublepost]

People always mistake QuickTime, the container format, with QuickTime Player, the front-end application. Player was actually a poor name, because it does more than "play" media. It converts, records and shares. I use QuickTime Player to record video tutorials for how to use my software and then I upload to YouTube, all within the app.

QuickTime is still very relevant, and is deeply rooted in OS X and iOS for media playback.

Thank you for that clarification
[doublepost=1460734165][/doublepost]

It might not be that desperate. The last Windows update to Quicktime removed the browser plugin (the main vector for vulnerabilities). The 2 new vulnerabilities would require you to launch a compromised file that looked like a quicktime file locally (like attached to a spear phisher's e-mail) and for the bad guys Flash etc. is a much better target.

So the US government is advocating dropping a semi-insecure technology when the most likely (not best) replacement that most people will move to - Flash - is worse?

 

[npmacuser5]

So, let me get this straight. The department that keeps us safe from terrorist is issuing a warning to users because Apple won't fix old software, but the FBI knows a flaw in old IPhone software and keeps it secret to protect us from... Wait for it.... Terrorist. Lol

Two types of flaws, the first allows remote access and the second requires physical access to the phone. The iPhone 5, FBI accessed, was the later and quick time was the first. Not really in the same category.

 

[smorrissey]

OK, uninstalled it, and iTunes, too, while I was at it.

I'm on the verge of doing the same....problem is i own an iphone, ipad and ipod touch....
[doublepost=1460738051][/doublepost]Why blo3$## Apple is still offering it then?

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL837?locale=en_US

I would like to have information directly from Apple before we begin the task of doing uninstalls....wait i've already uninstalled it a few minutes ago...whatever....

 

[bn-7bc]

Launcher for games.

And som cad/cam applications that has not been ported to other platforms

 

[Parasprite]

Quicktime for Windows was still being supported? :|

 

[smorrissey]

Launcher for games.

Such a naive comment lol, you should go outside more often....Your basement and your mac are not the world i'm afraid....

 

[MaulRx]

Such a naive comment lol, you should go outside more often....Your basement and your mac are not the world i'm afraid....

Yes and that comment is so enlightened.

 

[usarioclave]

QuickTime was actually not about movies at all, really. QuickTime defined APIs that allowed you, the developer, to deal with time easily. As one of the application of that QuickTime had a whole bunch of media things, because audio and video are all about time.

It was, if memory serves me, one of the first comprehensive and public APIs to deal with time and media. The QT API book is still one of the best introductions to media programming ever written, IMO. QT, like QuickDraw, stands as one of the development-side achievements of the MacOS team.

That said, time moves on and things change.

 

[Stella]

Apple shouldn't require any manual intervention on the user's part. They should have the uninstall happen through the apple updater that updates iTunes for Windows, iCloud for Windows, etc...

There is almost always a backlash if applications automatically get uninstalled.

IMO, its over the line if an application is uninstalled automatically.. I should have a choice - not the company.

 

[rdlink]

...(QuickTime for Mac is just as irrelevant)

Speak for yourself. I use it all the time to merge video files.

 

[C Jackson]

The Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team today issued an alert recommending Windows users with QuickTime installed uninstall the software as new vulnerabilities have been discovered that Apple does not plan to patch.The recommendation comes following a report from Trend Micro outlining Apple's plans to deprecate the software, which means no more security updates will be issued. At the same time, two new critical vulnerabilities have been discovered that affect QuickTime for Windows, and with no security updates forthcoming, the only defense against a potential attack is to remove the software.

For Windows users who want to uninstall QuickTime, Apple has published a support document that outlines all of the necessary steps. QuickTime for Mac is not affected.

Article Link: Apple Ending Support for QuickTime For Windows, Users Should Uninstall

[doublepost=1460757989][/doublepost]This is like your fat grandma telling you to go on a diet. We've got cabinet secretaries keeping classified docs on an unsecured server in some dude's loo closet and Homeland security is worried about ma's quicktime...

 

[tito2020]

So how are Windows users going to be watching trailers on Apple's site? Playback there always needed QuickTime.

Flash player 2.0 anyone?

 

[BaltimoreMediaBlog]

Yeah, QuickTime for Windows became pointless. Apple's own media is now in industry-standard codecs wrapped in industry-standard containers. A big change from the days when you had the Apple-specific codecs Cinepak and Sorenson, wrapped in Apple-specific container .mov. Back then, you basically needed QuickTime to watch many of the movie files out there. Then came MP4 and H.264, plus open-source players like VLC.

It's a good thing QT for Windows is no longer needed.

I find that QuickTime will not even open most .mov files lately. It's virtually useless since Apple stopped adding 3rd party codecs with each update. Apple killed it slowly all by themselves. They've even disabled my previously good paid for Pro Code.

 

[usarioclave]

As a side note, the reason quicktime is withering is that mpeg4 is basically QuickTime 2.

 

[Gudi]

I think the decline in Apple logo design coincides with the dismissal of Scott Forstall Craig Federighi.

It's not about who you fire, more about who you hire to the job instead.

Jony Ive Put Apple's Marketing Team in Charge of iOS 7 Icon Design

One of the more revealing points in the piece is that Jony Ive, recently put in charge of software as well as hardware design, tapped Apple's marketing and communications team -- MarCom -- to design the look and feel of the icons. Then, with those as a guide, the iOS design teams went to work.
[doublepost=1460795316][/doublepost]

Quicktime for Windows was still being supported? :|

iTunes for Windows basically is QuickTime. How else would it play all those media files?

 

[Manderby]

It is important to note that the software which once was required on Windows to introduce a replacement option for Flash video in Webtechnologies is now the one being *officially recommended by homeland security* to be uninstalled because of possible security risks due to the lack of support.

Ten years after denunciation of Flash by Apple, it is QuickTime which is officially banned from Windows, not Flash.

 

[doctor-don]

So my relative who has a Windows computer read(?) the article I forwarded to family and friends. Next thing I see is that he is using PC Cleaner to clean his computer before removing QuickTime. Perhaps he didn't read anything about "Here's the link to how to remove this app."

How to uninstall
Uninstall QuickTime 7 from Control Panel, as you would other programs on your PC. When following Microsoft's instructions for uninstalling programs, choose QuickTime 7 as the program to uninstall.

Or use Windows Search to find “Uninstall QuickTime,” and start the process that way.​

How much of a problem will he have with PC Cleaner? If it's anything like Mac Cleaner apps, they are adware and are a pain in the rear.

––––––––––
And NOW his PC will not boot. He says he is taking it to BestBuy.

 

[ChrisA]

... with no security updates forthcoming, the only defense against a potential attack is to remove the software.​

...

No, there is another obvious defense. Disconnect the computer from the Internet.

Seriously this works. If you are using a computer for "real work" that requires QT just unplug it.

I worked in the defense/aerospace industry for a few decades and every place I worked there was a hard rule that computers with classified information could not be connected in any way to the public Internet. This rule was 100% effective, we never had a problem with anyone gaining access to any of those computers.

 

[Internet Enzyme]

Where has Apple's icon design gone.

It's sad when an app that's been discontinued has a significantly better icon than Apple's current apps.

(QuickTime for Mac is just as irrelevant)

I personally think the Quicktime logo is really ugly and should be updated, but to each their own.

 

[ThatGuyInLa]

Adobe After Effects still warns if you don't have it installed.

 

[groovyd]

thank god... hopefully this means it will no longer keep re-installing itself or complaining about me not doing it on every itunes update. the thing is a complete mess.

 

[mytdave]

It is important to note that the software which once was required on Windows to introduce a replacement option for Flash video in Webtechnologies is now the one being *officially recommended by homeland security* to be uninstalled because of possible security risks due to the lack of support.

Ten years after denunciation of Flash by Apple, it is QuickTime which is officially banned from Windows, not Flash.

Having some experience in this environment, I can tell you the sad reality is that "supported" software is more important to them than actual vulnerabilities.
[doublepost=1460910375][/doublepost]QuickTime is dead. Long live QuickTime! The industry has shifted. The new codecs/containers are MPEG/h.264/h.265/HTML5, etc. These are QuickTime. The QuickTiime container won the battle and is a defacto part of today's media files. Any media player should be able to play these now - iTunes, VLC, Windows Media Player, etc.

There is no need for "QuickTime Media Player" anymore. Functionality is rolled into the media files themselves, and can be accessed by the media player of choice (note: not all players necessarily support all the capabilities embedded in the media files, and not all media files are created with extended content).

Unfortunately, the deprecation of "QuickTiime" does impact old APIs on old platforms. If you have old, old .mov files with old codecs, you might want to convert them to .m4v before it's too late. I haven't seen any official announcement about dropping QuickTime from Apple yet...