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Old 03-18-2008, 12:48 PM   #1
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for the Apple Computer fans

http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...n_id=rss_daily

Apple's Icarus Effect
Pride goes before destruction, and with hackers targeting Macs and iPhones, Roger L. Kay says Apple's haughty spirit portends a fall

by Roger L. Kay

Just as those living in shiny houses of self-righteous glass often end up surrounded by shards of their former sanctimony, so Apple Inc. now finds itself the increasingly appealing target of software hackers.

For years, Apple's marketing has consisted of accentuating the positive and ignoring everything else. As hackers pillaged Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows operating system, Apple (AAPL) stressed that its computer platform was relatively virus-free, most notably in that snarky ad campaign, "I'm a PC. I'm a Mac." There was Windows, groaning under the weight of its security apparatus, like some knight of yesteryear packed in heavy armor who, once he fell off his horse, couldn't get up again. And on the other side, there was Apple strutting about, smacking its gloves together and posing for the crowd.

But now Apple is becoming a victim of its own success, and the irony is just too great to miss. Anyone with a mild sense of history is keeping track. The main reason Apple had been left alone by hackers was not by virtue of any superior security technology, the company's protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. Software is, after all, eminently hackable. Only sufficient motivation is required. And now that Apple's platforms have become more popular, hackers are getting motivated.
Target: iPhone

Apple sold nearly 7.8 million Mac desktop and laptop computers in 2007. That's a 37% gain over the number sold in 2006 and well more than double the 2001 volume. It's little surprise then that reports of Mac viruses have been rising steadily.

Even more than the Mac, the iPhone makes for an attractive target. Apple tried to keep tight control on the iPhone platform, which is also based on the Mac OS. But iPhone-philes had other ideas. Hackers went to town on the iPhone from day one, opening it for service with nondesignated wireless providers and dropping applications onto it at will. And now there's Pwnage, a product of the renegade iPhone Dev Team. Pwnage threatens to help programmers bypass the controls and tolls Apple hopes to impose on any iPhone application created with the just-released software kit.

As if there weren't already enough incentive to hack the iPhone, the 30% revenue "share" Apple will require for every application sold through the iTunes Store should do the trick. To cast Microsoft as the bad guy who'd stop at nothing to hook its customers' bank accounts up to an intravenous drip is just too much. Taking such a large cut just for distributing software is no more generous a policy than any coming out of Microsoft. Everyone is rooting for the hackers to win.
Getting Warmer

Apple, welcome to Microsoft's world! This is an environment in which you have to support thousands of developers of varying quality, and all sorts of apps, well made or not. Some of these developers make you look good, but others end up trashing your reputation. And despite your best efforts to monetize what they do, it's not always possible. The elegant simplicity of your platform just makes hacking easier. There is no such thing as real security. All you can do is throw up roadblocks—which, by the way, make it harder for both crooks and law-abiding citizens to drive on your roads.

Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high, for the wax holding the feathers on the wings they were using to escape their island prison would melt in the sun. But the young man wouldn't heed his father and, reveling in his new power, passed his sire and kept going. When the wax warmed enough, the feathers fell apart, and he dropped into the sea.

Everyone makes mistakes. But society loves to repay hubris with derisive laughter.
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Old 03-18-2008, 01:29 PM   #2
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I love it.
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Junk the pos, spend the money on beer, acquire headache.

Same result cept this headache doesnt last months.
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Old 03-18-2008, 01:34 PM   #3
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Long time coming, IMO.
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Old 03-18-2008, 01:37 PM   #4
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So the delusional author of this article is apparently a devout ms lover that is cheering on criminals. "Everyone is rooting for the hackers to win"....who is "everyone"???

I bet this guy would make a great CR reporter, too. He could tell us why toyota is our savior and why GM should keep new models to a minimum.
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Old 03-18-2008, 01:41 PM   #5
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So the delusional author of this article is apparently a devout ms lover that is cheering on criminals. "Everyone is rooting for the hackers to win"....who is "everyone"???

I bet this guy would make a great CR reporter, too. He could tell us why toyota is our savior and why GM should keep new models to a minimum.
I see you're posting from a Mac. Yuppie.
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Junk the pos, spend the money on beer, acquire headache.

Same result cept this headache doesnt last months.
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Old 03-18-2008, 01:41 PM   #6
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i get security updates from apple pretty regularly. I have never run a virus software program on my macs, but if there becomes a need due to apple's success in marketing and gaining a larger fan base, then so be it. It isn't apple's security that is the reason I own mine, though its a great perk. Its the stability, ease of use, plug and play externals and the fact that I have had my computer freeze up MAYBE 3 times in the 4 years since I've owned this one, my last one probably about the same. The other reason is that my laptop is now 4 years old, and I use it EVERY day for very intense design programs, including the brand new Adobe CS3 suite which is designed for Intel Macs. I don't have any problems at all. Try doing that on a PC laptop thats 4 years old.
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Old 03-18-2008, 01:42 PM   #7
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I never shut my pc off and it never freezes up. XP is stable as hell.
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Originally Posted by LTb1ow View Post
Junk the pos, spend the money on beer, acquire headache.

Same result cept this headache doesnt last months.
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Old 03-18-2008, 01:43 PM   #8
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I never shut my pc off and it never freezes up. XP is stable as hell.
i'm running vista and can have it running as long as need be
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Old 03-18-2008, 02:01 PM   #9
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i didn't say anything about duration that the computer is left on. And yes, I know XP is pretty stable, because I use it at the office, but until you use an Apple computer for a month or so, you won't understand. I love how the people who bash apple haven't used a computer more than playing at a store with a base model, or at school with abused computers that are severely lacking memory. There's a reason why people "switch" to macintosh computers, and don't switch back.
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Old 03-18-2008, 02:09 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 79CamaroDiva View Post
i get security updates from apple pretty regularly. I have never run a virus software program on my macs, but if there becomes a need due to apple's success in marketing and gaining a larger fan base, then so be it. It isn't apple's security that is the reason I own mine, though its a great perk. Its the stability, ease of use, plug and play externals and the fact that I have had my computer freeze up MAYBE 3 times in the 4 years since I've owned this one, my last one probably about the same. The other reason is that my laptop is now 4 years old, and I use it EVERY day for very intense design programs, including the brand new Adobe CS3 suite which is designed for Intel Macs. I don't have any problems at all. Try doing that on a PC laptop thats 4 years old.
My sentiments exactly.
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Old 03-18-2008, 02:13 PM   #11
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I see you're posting from a Mac. Yuppie.
How'd ya guess???

I do hate getting into the Mac vs. PC debate, though. Hey whatever floats your boat. I've been using Macs for as long as I can remember, and they work best for me....especially because of my profession.
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Old 03-18-2008, 02:23 PM   #12
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How'd ya guess???

I do hate getting into the Mac vs. PC debate, though. Hey whatever floats your boat.
That's exactly what it is. One is not inherently better than the other. People just like to stir the pot, like Chevy vs. Ford, etc.

I said "long time coming" because I feel that part of the reason Macs and Linux boxes are so secure is because there hasn't been a concentrated threat. Now that they are more popular and hackers are attacking them more frequently so we will see what is truly more secure.
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Old 03-18-2008, 05:41 PM   #13
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That's exactly what it is. One is not inherently better than the other. People just like to stir the pot, like Chevy vs. Ford, etc.

I said "long time coming" because I feel that part of the reason Macs and Linux boxes are so secure is because there hasn't been a concentrated threat. Now that they are more popular and hackers are attacking them more frequently so we will see what is truly more secure.
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Old 03-18-2008, 05:52 PM   #14
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i would have to agree, im using my first mac ever, ibook g4 and i couldnt be happier. i have had this thing so slow with tons of apps open and it still has not crashed. i think it froze on me twice in the 3 years i owned it.. my windows desktop is ok, but then again all i do on it is surf the web nothing else, because its old and cant handle anything else. Its only a matter of time before there are more hackers for the macs, i just wish these people would stop creating hell for us and use it for something good like helping the dept of defense...my 2 cents.
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Old 03-19-2008, 11:37 AM   #15
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Old 03-19-2008, 11:42 AM   #16
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i dont like macs, mainly because back in school thats all they had, i had a pc at home which id do my homework on but i couldnt turn it in a lot due to schools having macs. yea so it doesnt seem like a good reason but any of you who know me personally, know how much that little aspect could irk me forever...lol
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Old 03-19-2008, 12:09 PM   #17
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use it for something good like helping the dept of defense...my 2 cents.
Many of the hackers are from Asia- Russia, India, and China.
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Old 03-19-2008, 01:00 PM   #18
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The only thing I'd use a Mac for is audio recording/editing. They own at that. But for normal day to day stuff Windows suits me fine.
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Junk the pos, spend the money on beer, acquire headache.

Same result cept this headache doesnt last months.
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