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Apple's Craig Federighi: Mac Not Meeting the Bar for Customer Protection
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I really hope they don't lock down macos. ugh 
Doesn’t explain why apps couldn’t process payments themselves. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
He's telling the court that, if they could've built the Macintosh ecosystem from the ground up again (like they did with iOS in the mid-2000s), they'd have done it the way they did with iOS.
Computers are legacy tech and come with consumer expectations (installing your own software, willingly making your machine more vulnerable to malware, spyware, ransomware, etc.) that are simply outdated for the purposes of modern cybersecurity.
It isn't a "dig" at MacOS -- it's an acknowledgement that it's really hard to build a computer that's secure.
No kidding, I don’t want my computer to be an iPad, that would be awful.I really hope they don't lock down macos. ugh
Really gotta wonder about the entire testimony of a plaintiff’s witness who claims Android and ios have equivalent security.
Of course, one crucial difference is that no-one wants to run anti-virus or malware software on their iPhone, but most sensible
Malware / Spyware on a computer is inconvenient, possibly dangerous financially.
Malware / Spyware on a device you might need to call 911, or that can be used to track you down to the foot with GPS, is possibly deadly.
Huge, huge difference.
This raises an interesting point.
Clearly Macs would be more secure if all software was installed through the App Store, and Apple might wish to go this way*, but at the moment that would involve cutting off too much important software.
But what about that iPad? People want to see a merging of iPad and Mac capabilities (though not necessarily the operating systems) and one way to do that would be to enable running Mac software on iPad. Obviously only App Store apps would be compatible, which could encourage the majority of Mac devs to put their software on the App Store. Once that has happened losing access to non-app store apps on Mac wouldn’t be a big issue.
*I say might because there are still a lot of people for whom this would ruin the Mac, and those people (many of whom will be developers) are important to Apple.
Clearly Macs would be more secure if all software was installed through the App Store, and Apple might wish to go this way*, but at the moment that would involve cutting off too much important software.
But what about that iPad? People want to see a merging of iPad and Mac capabilities (though not necessarily the operating systems) and one way to do that would be to enable running Mac software on iPad. Obviously only App Store apps would be compatible, which could encourage the majority of Mac devs to put their software on the App Store. Once that has happened losing access to non-app store apps on Mac wouldn’t be a big issue.
*I say might because there are still a lot of people for whom this would ruin the Mac, and those people (many of whom will be developers) are important to Apple.
The Mac was once the epitome of general purpose computing, revered by professionals & laymen alike. But now, since most Mac users make purchases outside the Mac App Store bypassing Apple’s Censor board & 30% Extortion booth, Apple is willing to throw the Mac under the bus. Anything to justify the App Store cash cow.
They’ve abandoned a lot of Mac hardware and software recently: Aperture, Xserve, Airport, Thunderbolt Display, target display mode, iMac Pro, an entry-priced Mac Pro, nvidia GPUs etc. Out of resentment, Apple also priced the professional Mac Pro & XDR display beyond $5000.
They’ve abandoned a lot of Mac hardware and software recently: Aperture, Xserve, Airport, Thunderbolt Display, target display mode, iMac Pro, an entry-priced Mac Pro, nvidia GPUs etc. Out of resentment, Apple also priced the professional Mac Pro & XDR display beyond $5000.
Exactly, they're hiding the true argument behind smoke and mirrors.
Balderdash. Operating systems can be perfectly secure without limiting the user to only approved apps. One of the simplest ways to do it is to educate users to log in as standard users, only elevating to an Administrator as necessary.
If the App Store only declined apps if they were insecure, you may have an argument. But they reject apps for a multitude of reasons that have nothing to do with security.
It's their plan since years.
They just didn't do this yet because people would riot against it.
But they are working on it, they are already slowly and gently closing the platform step by step, e.g by building more and more "security by obscurity" obstacles, e.g by enforcing signed kext, apps, etc.
Be prepared, IF they win, but they won't because it's not only this lawsuit, they will face a hit at least in the EU.
I would also argue that Jamf has also turned the mac into a mess with forced deployment.
MDM abuse is a real problem now similar to windows bloatware.
MDM abuse is a real problem now similar to windows bloatware.
Agree.
Exactly, the lengths Apple must go to defend their greed: Trashing their own desktop OS.
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That's not JAMF's fault, that's your system administrator's fault.
The 9to5Mac article included this helpful quote from Federighi:
Apple is probably headed that route but, I don't see them making a hard line in the sand for MacOS 12.
That doesn't solve the problem, for one thing most of the Creative Suite isn't in the Mac App Store.
That is a good analogy for the common folk.
You've undercut your own argument here.
There'd be no need for any cybersecurity protocols if users were educated. They aren't. They never will be. That's why you have to force them to use something beyond their initials for a password, stop them from accessing certain websites, block side loading of apps, etc.
Left to their own devices, most users will make a single car wreck of any situation.
Your projection is not logical.
They say security, but all I hear is App Store revenue.
The App Store is the cash cow of Apple. It probably represent more for the business than the entire Mac business.
Yes. I can understand how installing Little Snitch will compromise my whole system and pour out sensitive data.
/s
/s