Apple sucks

This post has nothing to do with knitting, and I am kind of curious to see if Apple beatniks are going to beat down my blog, so hear it goes.

Have you seen these Apple ads on TV recently?


As an IT person, I loathe these ads. Everytime I see one, my husband gets to hear a little nerd tirade. I know there is no honesty in advertisements, I find these batch of ads especially misleading. They are cute, but so very wrong.

1)'Out of the box' ease of use: It takes me just as long to set up a new Mac as it does a PC. Really. All major computer makers now make computers so your average person to set up. I had a 68 year old lady who only ever used Macs set up a Dell without help. No big selling point here.

2) PCs come in too many boxes: Buy a Mac with a studio display and you'll get multiple boxes too. Who really cares about this? I have helped hundreds of people select computer models including Macs, and this has NEVER been a consideration.

3) Macs don't get viruses and don't get hacked: Bullshit. If you read the fine print of the promotions on their website:
While no computer connected to the Internet will ever be 100% immune from attack...
That's more like it.

Yes, people write more viruses for the most popular OS. Yes, Windows has had more security vulnerabilities. That's not what I'm talking about. I think it's fine for Apple to promote it's advanced security features and that Macs are less prone to attacks then PCs. But to lure their users into a false sense of security and irresponsibility is just inexcusable. There is this myth that OSX is bulletproof, and it isn't, and Apple spreads this myth.

Apple actually promotes bad security measures by telling their users not to worry, it's a Mac, all in well. Users can easily misconfigure or turn some of the touted security measures off. In fact, they often do because it's annoying (for example, having to have to type in your password every time you need to make a small change to your OS).

Time and time again I've had Mac users tell me they don't need Antivirus, or need to keep on top of OSX patches, or even need good passwords because Macs are "unhackable". They even exclaim in shock when I have to rebuild their Mac because it's been hacked!

You may say sure, but Apple can't be held responsible for what people do or don't do. Just a few minutes ago I read about a new security hole for iTunes that compromises both Macs and PCs. Will I soon see an ad where the Mac and PC guy are in bed together with 'the flu' because they both got hacked from iTunes? I doubt it.

If your an Apple beatnik about ready to accuse me of being a concubine of Bill Gates, let me tell you a little something about myself. I started life out as an Apple user. My first PC was a IIgs. I loved Apple with all my heart until they screwed me over with a slew of buggy OS's and crappy overpriced hardware (anyone own a powermac 7100?). So I 'switched' over to the dark side. It also had something to do with being an IT, and wanting to make a living someplace. Try to find a job if you only know MacOS.

Currently, I work at a university and support Windows and OSX. I do like OSX, so see, I try not to harbor resentment over things Apple has done to me. Like when I had to wait 6 months for Apple to deliver my Mac Classic when I was a freshman in college. In fact, I have a imac on my desk along with my PC. If your are beatnik, in primary school education, graphics, or need your computer to match your retro Jetsons decor, or feel the need to screw 'the man' (and can forget that Apple is a big company with some pretty hard-handed policies- can I use my Rio MP3 player with iTunes?) Macs may be for you. They are nice machines and not a bad choice, really.

Just for the love of gods Apple, go back to the dancing cleansuit bunnymen and the U2 ipod ads. Stop telling your users that your OS is safe, when you take it back in the fine print on your webage. Push your cool image and status, and your multimedia apps instead. When will you learn to interoperate with Windows and other MP3 devices, it has only been good for you... Think Different.