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Apple Scales Back Marketing Language on OS X Security Following Flashback

thekeyring said:
Yes, but by PC they mean Windows-PC. Either that, or they think all Mac users are part of the Post-PC era.
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But good luck holding that up in court. As I said regardless of how many people like to separate it, or what they assume the meaning to be it didn't say Windows PC or anything else. It simply said PC - Personal Computer - and most Mac computers would fit that description in a legal case.

Any claim that it meant something other than it said would be easily thwarted.
 
JAT said:
Your last sentence should weigh more heavily in your thought processes than it does, IMO.
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It already weighs pretty heavily; the fact that none were particularly viable didn't mean there was less threat, only that no-one was really taking the time to properly develop a viable piece of malware. Flashback was quickly able to evolve from a simple "trick the user into installing me" malware into one that installed itself pretty quickly.

The fact of the matter is that this capability has been OS X for ages, with nothing being done to properly prevent it, it's only recently that any serious improvement has been made, and finally ditching the backwards mentality of being virus free is just another step in that process.
 
Asia8 said:
But good luck holding that up in court. As I said regardless of how many people like to separate it, or what they assume the meaning to be it didn't say Windows PC or anything else. It simply said PC - Personal Computer - and most Mac computers would fit that description in a legal case.

Any claim that it meant something other than it said would be easily thwarted.
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There's like 30 years of industry marketing pointing out that "PC" is the shorthand term to mean an IBM PC 5150 Compatible computer (the good old clone industry spawned by Compaq or an IBM machine that is "IBM Compatible-PC").

Apple would have no problems proving in court that they never built a Mac around the PC architecture and that even the Intel Macs require special software to install PC compatible OSes (Bootcamp).

You just wish it could be easily thwarted, for some obscure reason that evades me (facts much ?).
 
KnightWRX said:
There's like 30 years of industry marketing pointing out that "PC" is the shorthand term to mean an IBM PC 5150 Compatible computer (the good old clone industry spawned by Compaq or an IBM machine that is "IBM Compatible-PC").

Apple would have no problems proving in court that they never built a Mac around the PC architecture and that even the Intel Macs require special software to install PC compatible OSes (Bootcamp).

You just wish it could be easily thwarted, for some obscure reason that evades me (facts much ?).
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I'm sorry, I guess you've just not had a lot of experience in such matters. Just because many people have become accustomed to calling a windows based pc a PC, and calling an apple computer a mac doesn't make the make any less a PC.

Their written claim was a PC a mac is by the base definition (non-biased definitions) a PC.

As defined by Wikipedia:
"A personal computer (PC) is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator. This contrasted with the batch processing or time-sharing models which allowed larger, more expensive minicomputer and mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time. Large data processing systems require a full-time staff to operate efficiently."

A PC is defined by it's use, by it's price, not by it's operating system. Names also vary regionally as well as legal policies.

The claim as it was written before could not be legally defended. Hence why Apple changed it. I agree with Apples legal team who decided to change the message as it could not be defended, especially after recent events.

KnightWRX said:
You just wish it could be easily thwarted, for some obscure reason that evades me (facts much ?).
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I'm not sure what you mean, I'm just agreeing with Apples decision, legally that statement is high risk. If it wasn't, Apple would not have changed it. A PC by definition across the globe is a computer designed for personal use, as opposed to server type usage.

Maybe to some people they may believe a mac is not a PC, but that doesn't mean that much in the eyes of the laws, and I do mean laws. Laws across the globe vary greatly, rulings may vary in different locations, with such a risky statement it is highly likely that even IF they managed to win the legal battle in one or two countries they would still very likely lose in others.
Take not of Australian consumer protection laws which are rather harsh against false product claims.

Apple could try and argue it, but once the dictionaries come out, they have lost.

I know this, Apple know this, and has made the appropriate changes. Only you don't seem to realise/know this, and for some strange reason keep fighting it instead of waking up and realising the truth.
 
Asia8 said:
As defined by Wikipedia:
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Wikipedia doesn't trump 30 years of marketing material since the launch of the IBM 5150, I'm sorry. Anyway, sue Apple and tell us how it goes. Apple just doesn't make "IBM PC-Compatible" personal computers. Just like the Commodore 64 wasn't an IBM PC Compatible, but was still a personal computer.

Apple will have no trouble in proving a case where they used PC in the context it has been defined as for 30 years. You on the other hand will have quite the trouble with just a Wikipedia entry as your evidence. ;)

PC is an acronym that's used for a shorthand term for again, IBM PC compatible. The IBM PC 5150 is an actual model. The personnal computer market is vast and has many different models, not all of which are IBM PC compatible or even genuine IBM PCs. That's just how it's been for 30 years, good luck trying to prove otherwise in court.
 
KnightWRX said:
PC is an acronym that's used for a shorthand term for again, IBM PC compatible.
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Isn't an Intel Mac every bit as "IBM PC compatible" as any Dell/Acer/Toshiba PC? You can install and boot Windows on it. Is there another criterion?

Yes, it ships with another OS, but I don't think anyone would say a Linux PC isn't a PC either.
 
KnightWRX said:
Nope, it's not. Insert a MS-DOS boot floppy, and boot off of it straight from EFI. Come back and tell me your results.

Not without Bootcamp.
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Fair point! The hardware may be compatible, but the firmware isn't; not as shipped anyhow.

p.s. "floppy"? What is this thing "floppy"? ;)
 
today x4 Macs went down in the studio!

Apps quit, Spotlight bar scrambled, reboot and all User level scrubbed!! Same on each machine.

what is this?!

x3 on 10.5.8 and x1 on 10.6
 
ethana said:
Good move by Apple. The "Before" was always a lie, and this coming from a lifelong Mac user.
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Macs don't get PC viruses.

How is that a lie? It's true. The same as PC don't get Mac viruses.

It's a "well, duh!" statement, but still true nonetheless.



brucebrendon said:
today x4 Macs went down in the studio!

Apps quit, Spotlight bar scrambled, reboot and all User level scrubbed!! Same on each machine.

what is this?!

x3 on 10.5.8 and x1 on 10.6
Click to expand...

Probably wanna make your thread about that.
 
Doombringer said:
I'm glad they changed their language. "It doesn't get viruses" is false.
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No, it's not false. There are no Mac OS X viruses in the wild and Macs don't get Windows viruses.

You can keep your Mac malware-free by practicing safe computing. This has always been true for Mac OS X.

Regardless of what labels you want to put on it, there are two prominent types of malware in the wild: malware that you can avoid by practicing safe computing alone (trojans), and malware that can affect your Mac, even if you practice safe computing, if you don't have antivirus software running (virus). There has always been the former for Mac OS X, but there has never been the latter.

Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 10 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.
  1. Make sure your built-in Mac firewall is enabled in System Preferences > Security > Firewall

  2. Uncheck "Open "safe" files after downloading" in Safari > Preferences > General

  3. Disable Java in your browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox). This will protect you from malware that exploits Java in your browser, including the recent Flashback trojan. Leave Java disabled until you visit a trusted site that requires it, then re-enable only for the duration of your visit to that site. (This is not to be confused with JavaScript, which you should leave enabled.)

  4. Change your DNS servers to OpenDNS servers by reading this.

  5. Be careful to only install software from trusted, reputable sites. Never install pirated software. If you're not sure about an app, ask in this forum before installing.

  6. Never let someone else have access to install anything on your Mac.

  7. Don't open files that you receive from unknown or untrusted sources.

  8. For added security, make sure all network, email, financial and other important passwords are long and complex, including upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

  9. Always keep your Mac and application software updated. Use Software Update for your Mac software. For other software, it's safer to get updates from the developer's site or from the menu item "Check for updates", rather than installing from any notification window that pops up while you're surfing the web.
That's all you need to do to keep your Mac completely free of any Mac OS X malware that has ever been released into the wild. While you may elect to use it, you don't need any 3rd party software to keep your Mac secure.
 
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