Apple enlists David Puddy to take on the Laptop Hunters
By Ross Miller 
posted August 24th 2009 10:09PM
posted August 24th 2009 10:09PM
[Thanks, Travis]
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posted August 24th 2009 10:09PM
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I lol'd
i will say this. fangirl that I am, I am a tad tired of Apple always picking the virus thing. why not hit up the added software, training ops. etc. anything but always going for the viruses. it makes it seem like that's the only real reason to pay the extra money. which means some folks will say 'well for $100 I can get an antivirus program and still save tons of money'. ad fail
"Puddy" is usually hilarious but that was kinda lame.
Disclaimer that I feel is necessary for this site: I own and enjoy Macs and Windows machines.
Yes, it's always great to add on that sweet anti-virus software than slows that "too fast" processor to a snails pace. Not to mention the pop-ups on top of MS OS pop-ups. It's a very enjoyable user experience. And it only costs an extra hundred. What a bargain!
I guess some folks, whose time is close to worthless, are ready to compromise after all.
LAGal,
My parents refuse to run Windows without full anti-virus protection, yet the their anti-virus software constantly brings their computer to its knees. They were so unhappy with Norton after using it for 9 years they switched to some free crap offered by their ISP, and now their computer is even worse. And even *with* AV protection, they still can't help from constantly picking up various forms of spyware and toolbars.
Like it or not, Windows malware is still a very serious problem, and the anti-virus software available is hardly a solution.
wow i've had a PC since 2006 and no viruses, to date *knocks on wood*
but apple still takes it too far as if you were going to get 1000 viruses, the max ive heard anyone have was 7.....
@Darren
Then you should teach your parents how to use a computer. My dad has been using a HP Laptop with Windows XP (OEM mind you, so its still loaded with some bloatware), with nothing but Zone Alarm, and it is in top shape. Not once has he gotten a virus, worm, or any sort of malware. One thing he does have is common sense not to open email attachment hey-look-at-this-pic-of-you.jpg.exe.
The virus problem is no longer Microsofts but the user. Anyone with common sense can avoid a Virus. People disabling UAC because 'they don't like the popups' (Although every OS has a UAC of some sort, even mac), and having a virus total their system is because their idiots, not because Windows is riddled with holes.
Virus problem is propaganda, nice to know that even people on Engadget (so called techies) believe marketing bullshit. (Tip: Not everything on TV is true.)
Yeah as an Ubuntu user these ads are just comic gold. Each company screws the user in one way or an other and you can always look to the comments for some hilarious commentary.
@Surfer
No one says you have to buy Symantec or McAfee garbage. There are plenty of AV's that consume few resources and don't annoy you with popups.
And always remember, every OS has to listen to its user. As OS X gains marketshare, malware writers will take notice, and exploit stupid users to run their trojans. I know this is completely informal, but about a third of the Mac users I've seen are just dumb high school or college girls who just bougt one to match their iPod. Not exactly hard to trick them into typing an administrator password to let your wonderful bit of code do its magic, eh?
@ Darren, tell your parents not to go to porn sites because that's a virus haven. I built my own pc w/ no antivirus to this day (2yrs) and have not had a virus
Microsoft needs to hire George or Elaine now ... possibly Peterman.
for anyone out there who constantly gets stupid add ons, search bots, add ons etc, i have one thing to suggest to you. When you click on something on the internet BE MINDFUL OF IT. its really not that difficult:
- if something pops up and says, i'm a horny girl next to you...wanna chat? dont click it
- if you're online searching for something, and come across some stupid flash based game...dont play it
- if there's some offer that promises to increase your size, and also increase your performance...dont take it.
- if some god awful site promises you a free ipod for filling out a few surveys....dont do them.
- if some site promises you free views of that hot espn announcer that sadly was violated in her own hotel room...dont view them.
- and seriously those that still use limewire? ugh, dont download it
like seriously i swear to god, i've had my own PC for all my adult life. And in all the 10 years or so that i've had them, and various builds, i have NEVER ONCE picked up a virus spyware/bots etc. u dont know how many times i've had to pay a visit to a friends house (not to be sexist, but usually girls) to fix their comp. when i look at it, there's 1) a ton of bots and junk on it. But more importantly 2) when i looked at their installed programs, they honestly have like 20+ programs installed. when in reality they only use at most 8 on a monthly basis. all windows users out there, think twice before you click on dumb things on the net, and i promise you you will never get a virus.
I honestly do not thee virus problem on the of because my ISP(AT&) give me an antivirus program for free every year so ha.........you have to give me a better reason to buy a mac apple than that lame excuse
Yes, virus software has huge disadvantages. But do people really get that? Do people really get that the $300 they spent at a repair center to have the computer "fixed" was so that a guy could maybe backup your data (for a small extra cost, it's on sale now...) then sit there wipe your computer and reinstall XP and half your software, while the same going is working on 10 computers at a time. People don't see, that as easy as installing on a Mac is, XP really isn't hard, just ugly.
@Darren
You should be glad that so many people use windows, if the same number used Macs OS X would have the same problem with viruses!
@ KillChaos
"Anyone with common sense can avoid a Virus."
Absolutely right. And those with more common sense chose the computers that have zero viruses, thereby avoiding 100% of existing ones and those to be created in the future. One reason why Mac are selling well these days.
i have no idea why apple is doing well these days. but as long as there are iDiots buying, im trading AAPL and thanking them.
n if you are curious, im using a haute coulte pc with windows thats been running fine for 4 years. i go to url i trust and never open those Anna Kournikova attachments. i almost did once! hehe
@David
why George or Elaine? They already had Jerry, Apple is just playing "cheap knock-off" or "mee-too" with Putty.
Apple, prepare your copy machines - and show the same themed commercials over, and over, and over again. Look at that Apple innovation at work.
Yeah sure you can buy your $100 antivirus program. How does that eliminate the headaches though? Face it Windows is simply a bug ridden, non-intuitive, butt-ugly pile of crap. Always has been.
hey engadget how about blocking comment system on articles which some how related to Mac vs PC.....
apple need to hire quagmire now - gigidi gigidi
Mac's have just as many issues as a pc does some issues are simular some are not but they both have issues......i use both ........ one is good for certain things ....the other is used for other things.........but technically i could choose to use a pc for it all.......but i respect the fact that apple has some things it can do better then pc........but on the other hand pc has things it does 10 times better then a Mac.............Oh and back to the fact that i can do all i need and what i can do on a mac on a pc........ WHY SPEND ALL THE EXTRA MONEY ON THE MAC!!!! WHEN II CAN DO IT ALL ON MY PC OR JUST INSTALL OSX ON MY PC HAHAHA!!!!! Apple apple apple .....tisk tisk hmmmmm you just as bad as microsoft ........final verdict
BUY A PC IF ALL YOU WILL DO ON A MAC IS EDIT OR GRAPHICS!!!!
YOU CAN PUT OSX ON A INTEL BASED PC!!!!
apple need to hire quagmire now - gigidi gigidi
My friend mount other partition to document folder. and using a program call deepfreeze. it's like restore the os every reboot.
But i don't fell like to pay for that program. so I just using restore partition include in notebook. just press some key combination and boom all virus gone.
Damn iFargle, you gotta feel good about yourself. 24 replies? lol.
@LAGal. Thank you for your sensibility because that is very true - enough with the Virus angle.
@Steve. Your disclaimer is necessary here but to be fair, it's necessary at most tech blogs/sites. I use the disclaimer angle whenever is required as well to make sure nothing gets misconstrued by fanbois of any affiliation when I'm making a point about a topic that concerns either MS or Apple.
Hey apple. if I wanted to listen to arse I would have farted myself.
Every time my XP machine slowed to a crawl, I would open task manager and find out one $^&% task was consuming 70% of the cpu. Guess which antivirus software that one was? It almost seemed like a virus of its own...
Now I have ESET NOD32 on my computer for 3 years. Great program, compact, doesn't overwhelm your system resources, and haven't had a single virus problem since. Check them out; I believe it is a much better choice then Mcafee or Norton.
Which kind of tells you that Apple's single line of attack is pure nonsense. They are barking up the wrong tree, since I believe few pc owners actually relate to the pain caused by a virus on their pc.
If you're a dumb*** to get even a single virus on your PC in the first place, then you probably know nothing about computers, thus go idiot-proof with a Mac.
10+ years without a single virus on any of my Windows machines. I have nothing against Macs, good computers, but what I have a problem with is how lame people are to fall for these stupid commercials about virus attacks.
There's no viruses for windows 7, so I wonder if apple is in a hurry before the microsoft phonecall.
Remember the apple call after laptop price change? The shoe is in the other foor now.
Talk about repetitiveness, apple continually cling to the 'belief' that pc's are slow and always get viruses..
Unless you are a bonehead who doesnt know how to look after your stuff, im sure you wont have a problem with PCs
Lol. rturius.
You actually think that Mac OS would have problems with viruses? No. It wouldn't. And the Mac IS popular. Seriously, how DUMB of a saying to say if there weren't as many Mac users as PC.
The Mac is popular. I don't see viruses, still.
Lets be honest here...its not about virus and adware at all.
Windows computers purchase from Sony, HP, Gateway, Dell, ect...come with tones of crackware installed. On a Mac you don't have that problem. This is a big problem if you purchased a slow computer to begin with. When Windows makes a rule that only necessary software be installed people will have much less problems.
Sony is one of the worst...purchase a laptop for my girlfriend for Christmas. Had to format the hd and reinstall vista for it to run properly. It was bogged down by tons of Junkware at start up.
Second software companys need to stop trying to slip Web Browser Tool bars into there installs. This is another problem with Windows, most people just hit next till it is over. Then wonder where did all this shit come from.
@while( engadget != gizmodo) printf(Information);:
I direct you to a [citation needed].
Mac OS-X is more popular than Mac's older operating systems were, however, Windows is still in extremely heavy usage.
I direct you to: http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8 for clarificaion.
Yes that also includes things like business usage of operating systems, not just home users.
More people using a common system will attract more people trying to exploit those users.
So as the Mac market share increases more people will try to exploit those users since their numbers will make doing so more desirable.
No security system is perfect and the end user is almost always the failing component.
As a user of: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS-X 10.5, and Ubuntu on a regular basis, I can assure you that these statements aren't said as a 'fanboi' statement but to show the reality of the situation.
Please put your preferences aside and consider the situation reasonably.
On top of the $100 initial price of anti-virus software, you have to pay an average of $50 annually to renew your subscription, then let's bring in anti-ad-ware and anti-phishing software into the mix and we're talking even more money. I enjoy macs mostly because of their simplicity, granted the pc has alot of the same functionality as a mac, but you don't have to be an advanced computer user to enjoy alot of the basic and more advanced functions of the computer. Alot of the time many features on the the mac will require less steps and know-how to activate successfully, that translates into a more enjoyable user experience.
hopefully if these Apple commercials go after all that bundled software then hp, dell, gateway, and the other manufacturers will stop adding all of that crap.
My mom and stepdad are the most computer illiterate people know, and they have never received a virus. They're the kind of people who open and forward a lot of email attachments but even they can tell the difference between a virus and a funny picture. Even more surprising, though, is the fact that they've never even gotten a virus forwarded to them via email.
My dad and stepmom, on the other hand, both bought into the hype and switched all their computers over to Macs. My dad now has an iMac and a unibody MacBook, and my stepmom has a last-gen MacBook Pro. My stepmom hasn't had problems but she's always complaining about the software she had on Windows and can't use anymore, like Quicken. My dad had a major hard drive problem with his MacBook which he took to the Apple Store to get fixed. The so-called "genius" there had to replace the entire hard drive and did not even try to copy his data to the new hard drive. It would have taken all of 10 minutes to do with a USB-SATA cable, something every computer repair place should have. His only other option would have been to buy another external hard drive (the one he has is full and used for Time Machine on his iMac) and copy the data to that, then copy it back later. Talk about poor customer service. I'm glad I'm a Windows user, and I don't have to put up with any af the BS he had to go through.
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/networking_security/protectmacantivirus.html
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/networking_security/avastantivirusmacedition.html
Google Chrome and NOD32, virus problem solved!
Most things you would call a virus are a worm or a trojan [horse].
My question is, given that a well written "virus" will do a good job of keeping its head down while it starts to wreak havoc, how would you know you don't have an infected computer, unless you run anti-virus software to check that?
You know all those spam emails that your spam filter is detecting? They're -- almost without exception -- sent from zombies, i.e. PCs with no antivirus that have fallen victim to some internet nasty. Wouldn't the people who own those computers say the same, "I don't run anti-virus and my computer is fine" ?
This ads bites apple in the ass, because I think all guys sooner ID with the PC guys and few women with the one in the vid, so it ends up being an ads that makes PC's seem 'the' thing and the mac for boring librarian prissy types.
But perhaps that's how apple likes things to remain ;)
@uberflu
Tell your IT department to disable autorun on removable media and install firefox on the computers, because it's not THAT hard you know, in fact tell the new IT guys that after you fired the previous ones, and tell them to not forget their iphones and macs as they leave the building.
Well the reason they keep picking on viruses is probably because 99% of computer users are not enthusiasts (and likely no one on this site) and instead are fairly computer dumb, and have no idea how to properly maintain or care for a computer. If added cost is not an issue, I would definitely recommend a Mac for the majority of those people, just because they tend to stay running longer and not rapidly degrade within a week's time due to exposure to the dreaded "old people" virus.
Due to these issues, PC's in the hands of these people will soon face slowdowns, viruses, and other avoidable problems. Apple tries to shift the blame for all of these issues onto viruses, when it is more the fault of the users. The problem is PC users, not the PC. However, with this said, by talking about viruses, they can avoid saying "Hey, are you too stupid to use a computer properly and NOT destroy it in short order? Buy a Mac!"
I am not saying Macs are ONLY for people who are not computer savvy, just saying those are the people the "Viruses" advertising is geared towards.
High five! Wanna get some Arby's?
- if something pops up and says, i'm a horny girl next to you...wanna chat? dont click it
* Have fun with that "Chat application"
- if you're online searching for something, and come across some stupid flash based game...dont play it
* Oh come on, flash games are fun! Srsly tho not much of a threat...
- if there's some offer that promises to increase your size, and also increase your performance...dont take it.
* Yourmexicandoctor.com. LOL
- if some god awful site promises you a free ipod for filling out a few surveys....dont do them.
* Won't give you a virus, but if you give them your address you will get spam! Perhaps good for a prank...
- if some site promises you free views of that hot espn announcer that sadly was violated in her own hotel room...dont view them.
* Yeah that's about right
- and seriously those that still use limewire? ugh, dont download it
* Anyone who uses this piece of shit is asking for it
Some good adive you got going there really :D
Ya... its about time they pick a new topic. People are now aware that PCs have viruses. With gaining more market share, guess what APPLE!!! you will too!! maybe thats why you're including more anti-virus measure built into the code. Move on.
Linux is the only safe way to go.
Wow, even I think that those ads have reached the end, and I love them.
Yep, who would of thought all the "writers" would just be copying the same scripts and handing it off to the "video people".
Yeah, this one felt like they're trying too hard now. The first ones were fresh. Now they seem like parodies of themselves.
*Que baby music*
Mac:"Hi I'm a Mac"
PC: "and I'm a PC"
PC: "hey did you know that PC's
Mac: "Well mac does that now, better"
PC: "grumble"
PC: *Freezes*
Mac:
*Show end screen*
Gold
I defy someone to TRY to fit 1000 viruses on his computer after 200 you will probably lose connection to the internet, so you can no longer download any...seriously as a technician the highest count was about 170-180 viruses/adware on one pc(user had limewire,kazaa(i lol'd)). If you get a PC just install linux on it and oh wait there are no more viruses there goes your main campain..oh and its FREE? and the upgrades are FREE too? wow