I’m talking about checking for viruses, Trojans, malware, etc...
You neve have to do that with Apple.
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That’s not because Apples software is magical , in fact it has as many holes as MS Windows... it’s just that the hacker community goes after the bigger target.
Apple is A LOT more sercured.
Microsoft on the other hand has more holes, back doors, etc.. than a kitchen strainer.
MS code is easy to hack - Unix not so much - ask NSA. Size of target is just one factor.
There are as many, if not more, vulnerabilities in OS X / iOS than there are in Windows. That is because Apple includes in the distribution of OS X, most of the packages that go along with UNIX™, and when there are vulnerabilities found and patches made for those components of UNIX™, Apple reports them as well as the vulnerabilities/patches for OS X. Apple also included an entire suite of software with every distribution of OS X. Any vulnerability/patch that is found is also included when reported as an OS X vulnerability. That increases the total number for OS X.
Windows is only counted for the OS distribution. However, the total number of CRITICAL vulnerabilities/Exploits actually in the wild is far lower. . . And the number of computers actually exploited is usually under 100 for the OS X exploits. . . And often in the ZERO to 50 category. In the iOS category, it is even smaller than that.
There was a day when security-through-obscurity might have had a touch of validity, but not so much today. Apple's security is in large-part, found in several layers of defense built-in. From the unix core, to the gatekeeper functionality. Also, the relatively "closed" system that comes from a single manufacturer with a single set of specifications for all OEM components - the OS is far more streamlined and has less variables to struggle with. The list goes on.