Nearly every day I'm asked what I think about Macs, and everyday I give the same answer: Excellent on "cool" factor, and an even BETTER marketing scam.
It's a capable computer, don't get me wrong. It's just more than a little over-hyped and over-priced. I've worked with Macs and even thought of owning one, but the more I know, the less interesting Mac is to me. So what turns me off most about Mac? That's a tough call. It could be the smug passive-aggressive "elitist complex" of loyalists. It could be the clever and downright deceptive nature of it's advertising. At the end of the day I would have to say it is for both of these reasons I will probably never own a Mac.
If you've ever talked computers with a true Mac "fanboy", you know what I mean when I say they make every attempt to make you feel STUPID and inferior for using anything other than Mac. And then there is the advertising. Notice how those clever "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads are geared towards fear and loathing? "Mac is better because it's 'safer' and easier to use"! Not so fast.
If you're thinking about purchasing a Mac so you don't have to worry about things like computer viruses, worms, spyware and other malicious threats, then you are making the purchase for the wrong reason. Most threats succeed through social engineering. They succeed by luring the casual user into a trap. If you can be fooled using a PC, you can be fooled using a Mac as well. In fact, you're probably MORE vulnerable with the Mac because of the false sense of security Apple trumpets in it's marketing campaigns.
The simple truth is, a properly maintained and protected PC is no more vulnerable than a Mac. Hundreds of new security threats emerge monthly and they aren't all targetted at Windows. In fact, the more Apple's share of the market grows, the more new threats targeting the Macintosh platform emerge.
Today Apple is releasing a massive patch to repair 58 security vulnerabilities that could allow a remote user to gain complete control of an unpatched system running OS X. That is NOT a typo. Fifty-eight security vulnerabilities for this patch cycle alone! That is a lot of potential damage to be done. So much for not needing to worry about malicious software on a Mac. Read about it
here.
If you own a Mac, make sure you get the patch. If you're thinking about owning a Mac (or for that matter a new Windows 7 PC), make sure you have all the facts before parting with your hard earned money.
Tags: apple, mac, pc