Elliott C. Back: In Aere Aedificare

I got the following advertisement in my inbox just now for an Apple mac. It’s part of their student campaign, so I receive the emails to my old Cornell address. At first glance, it seems innocuous, but think carefully about the contradiction inherent in the panels:

A free iPod touch. Another reason to get a Mac for school.

Reminder: A free iPod isn’t the only reason a Mac makes sense.

1. Runs Office, Vista, and XP.
2. Has built-in WiFi.
3. Doesn’t get those PC viruses.
4. Comes ready to video chat.
5. Does so much more with photos and movies.
6. Delivers course materials and more via iTunes U.

Let’s put this together. According to Apple, the number one selling point for marketing their Macbook computers to students is that existing Microsoft software–Office, Windows Visa, and Windows XP can all be run on the Macbook. Don’t tell me that somehow magically, when Windows is running on Apple’s hardware, that all the malware, viruses, worms, and spyware written for Windows will suddenly stop working or infecting your PC. Yet their #3 point is that the Macbook “won’t get those PC viruses.”

Sorry Apple, the Macbook will definitely get PC viruses if it’s running Windows–which you suggest it should be.

Safari has a new version, and a new platform. The once mac-only web browser has released Safari 3 for Windows XP, backed by claims of UI, performance, and integration superiority. The claims are that it is 2x faster in Javascript and HTML rendering, a claim we plan to test ourselves. Note that Safari, the first time it was launched, took about a minute to start up and froze the screen for that time. Only after that did it open fast.

Javascript Performance Results

So, their biggest claim is Javascript performance, which they show like so:

We’ll combine the overall results from these benchmarks together:

1. JS/Bench
2. DHTML Benchmark
3. DOM Query Test
4. JS Speed Tests

We find that depending how you look at it, Safari can actually be considered 3x slower than IE7, or roughly of equal speed. Here is an overall performance chart, with two columns–one is the raw average score, the other averages the worst-test group (three results) into one result and averages it:

Safari doesn’t break much ground here

Here’s the per-test chart, which shows Safari kicking ass in the first test, losing the next three, tying the fourth with IE, and doing well again on the last test:

Other annoyances

Interestingly, Apple tries to bundle Safari with not one, but three separate Apple products: Quicktime, Bonjour, and Apple Update. On top of that, they break the back-mousebutton click that I’ve become used to using in IE/FF, and use tons of my RAM main memory up. No one sums it up better than Dev Hints who notes that “Safari Isn’t the Beauty That Apple Likes To Claim.” It’s not bad, and it’s getting better, but there are still bugs to be worked out.

When I read about new proof of concept code in OSX that allows arbitrary code execution by manipulating flaws in system files, I sigh, and wonder why the public has the misconception that their Apple Macintosh computers are somehow safer and less prone to malware than PCs. According to an article by the Register, Apple is not focusing enough on the security of their core operating system product:

This is almost certainly the year of the OS X exploit,” said Jay Beale, a senior security consultant for Intelguardians and an expert in hardening Linux and Mac OS X systems. “The OS X platform may be based on a Unix platform, but Apple seems to be making mistakes that Unix made, and corrected, long ago.

Perhaps we should call it OS V, for virus, instead. Then the public would have a symbol to remind them that Apple’s operating system cannot provide perfect security:

One only has to look at the Secunia OSX vulnerabilities page or Symantec’s OSX threat advisory center to realize that the Apple platform has the same potential for malware as any other. No software is bug-free; yet Apple is trying to foster a reputation that pretends it is:

Historically, Apple has not had very good external communication skills. They have a tremendous marketing team, but the amount of information (as opposed to marketing hype) that comes out of Apple is low.

When a software company would rather hide the flaws in its software until the “next patch” rather than publically own them, there’s a big security problem. When the next 0-day OSX exploit comes out, do you want to know about it, or would you rather pretend it doesn’t exist?

Here’s my list of top-10-reasons not to buy a Macbook Pro, Apple’s latest and greatest luxury notebook. While some of these problems have been addressed, many are still riling consumers who long for a Macbook Pro v2.

1) Your batteries might swell, explode, or stop working due to heating problems. Your case will be warped out of shape in the process.

2) The name “Macbook Pro” is considered horrible, and generally not the new status symbol your $2000+ notebook should be.

3) Performance on old Power PC code is mediocre. All your old Mac apps will generally run slowly, slower than a G4.

4) The Macbook Pro is shoddily and quickly manufactured in China. It may or may not have manufacturing defects that will need later repair, such as a loose fan.

5) Overheating will cause serious problems for your Macbook, if it suffers from blocked vents or the infamous thermal paste problem.

6) Some Macbook Pro owners report a hissing noise from the display if it’s running at less than full brightness.

7) No Firewire 800 port, which means significantly slower external device performance.

8) Wifi support in the new Macbook Pro is somewhat sketchy; Airport doesn’t work as well as it used to.

9) Macbook Pro pricing is higher than the corresponding Dell or other Intel Core Duo notebooks.

10) Like the Sony 13.3″ Vaio’s with metal cases, the Macbook Pro also can induce an electric shock to the user, through the metal case.

The problems generally fall into one of three categories: manufacturing defects, feature reductions, and design problems. Some problems fall into two categories. For example, the heating problems are caused first by poor design with higher power consumption, and second by manufacturing defects with thermal grease, vent blockage, and shaky fans. Digg if you like.

The new macbook is pretty but not as juicy as the macbook pro.