Gates Slams Mac Ads, Questions Mac Security

MacNN.com ^ | 2 Feb 2007

[big'ol_freeper]

Microsoft co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates has openly criticized Apple's 'Get a Mac' ads, called the company a liar, and questioned the security of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. In a recent interview with Newsweek, Gates compared Microsoft's recently released security-oriented Windows Vista to Apple's Mac OS X: "We made it way harder for guys to do exploits," Gates said, referring to Windows Vista. "The number [of violations] will be way less because we've done some dramatic things [to improve security] in the code base. Apple hasn't done any of those things." The executive also referenced the frequent discovery of flaws in Mac OS X. "Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine." Gates was likely referring to the 'Month of Apple Bugs' project -- which came under intense criticism this week for exploiting Safari users attempting to view a freshly-discovered bug.

[coon2000]

Holy sh!t Batman! They lied about a camera?!!??! Throw them off a cliff!!!

[Constantine XIII]

OH LAWL

[aruanan]

Apple created a market for its own hardware.

And that's why it's been so good.

[Constantine XIII]

I'm Bob Corker, and I approve of this post.

[UpAllNight]

--Holy sh!t Batman! They lied about a camera?!!??! Throw them off a cliff!!!--

A lie is a lie. They don't have the guts to pick on a company, they go after the PCGuy! But we all know that there lies wouldn't go in the real world against a real company or product.

[Petronski]

He said this: No. Apple MAC went with the USB to be compatible with the Apple IPOD.

Macs were USB before the iPod came out. Apple's implementation of USB had nothing to do with the iPod, because USB was implemented on Macs before the iPod.

[blu]

From Wiki (which I usually don't approve of as a cite, but it will do in this case)

"iPod is a brand of portable media players that is designed and marketed by Apple and was launched on October 23, 2001."

So, do you want to tell my 2000 dual USB iBook that it didn't get those ports until way after the iPods were introduced?

[Halgr]

I'm going to switch to Linux, as soon as I find a version that doesn't require a degree in computer science....I want to dual boot....and I have a RAID 0 setup....but my son built this computer for me.

I have a mac....but its too slow...and I don't want to buy a faster one.

I would think that there are a lot of people out there like me who are fed up with MS....especially after looking at VISTA and its bloatware...and the outragious and confusing prices.....I think MS has shot themselves in the foot big time.

[blu]

Sorry,my reply was meant for UpAllNight!

[aruanan]

I'm no fan of the Mac ads, though. Matter of fact, they are why I will NEVER own a Mac. Insulting me is not the way to get my business. It's the liberal way of trying to change a person's mind, by belittling them and insulting them. All I know about Macs from those ads is that they seem to believe that "coolness" is the deciding factor in a computer purchase.

Insulting you? How? Or are you like a previous poster who thought the Mac ads were depicting users of the different rather than anthropomorphized computers? It's not really an easy thing to overlook. Judging from your comments, I have to wonder whether you've ever actually watched the ads. Either that or, like Bush2000, you're ludicrously overcommitted to PC-dom.

[Petronski]

So, do you want to tell my 2000 dual USB iBook that it didn't get those ports until way after the iPods were introduced?

No I don't. UpAllNight does.

[avg_freeper]

"Apple's implementation of USB had nothing to do with the iPod, because USB was implemented on Macs before the iPod."

Correct, I had a bondi-blue first gen iMac and I believe it had two USB ports. The whole drive behind USB and the iMac was the reduction of cables. One cable from the mouse to the keyboard then to the iMac.

[Petronski]

For some people, the plain import of words like "Hi, I'm a Mac... --And I'm a PC" just aren't enough.

[UpAllNight]

--So, do you want to tell my 2000 dual USB iBook that it didn't get those ports until way after the iPods were introduced?--

If you have a 2000 dual USB ibook you stole it from the Apple development lab!

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

All my Macs have had USB ports, or am I, besides being computer illiterate, thinking of something else.

[Bommer]

Careful, you'll upset the, "Vista or Die!" crowd, who also get upset when you bring up Windows ME.

Too late. Had one "MS does not wrong" Borg chew me out on a OS that he didn't have a clue on, the day it came out!

[UpAllNight]

--Correct, I had a bondi-blue first gen iMac and I believe it had two USB ports. The whole drive behind USB and the iMac was the reduction of cables. One cable from the mouse to the keyboard then to the iMac.--

The USB ibook (not imac) came out in 2001. IPOD came out in 2001. All existing macs prior to the USB ibook did NOT have USB. Apple put the USB into the ibook knowing that they were bringing out the IPOD with the USB. The whole drive behind the USB on the mac was because they designed the IPOD with the USB.

[L98Fiero]

"For some people, the plain import of words like "Hi, I'm a Mac... --And I'm a PC" just aren't enough."

Yeah, deep thinker you are. Go piss down someone else's back and tell them it's raining.

[UpAllNight]

--All my Macs have had USB ports, or am I, besides being computer illiterate, thinking of something else.--

The first was the 2001 USB ibook which had not one but TWO USB ports as the ad went (my pc at the time came with four). Interesting that mac came out with the USB ibook simultaneously with the IPOD which was USB leaving existing mac owners complaining why they couldn't plug the IPOD into a mac!

[Minutemen]

Pot calling the kettle black? Excuse me, gotta run now. Time to visit Windows Updates and download another 50 MB of patches and fixes for this week.