Well I’d never really thought of it as malware but that’s what one comment on my blog said about Apple sneaking MobileMe on to Windows via the iTunes 7.7 update.
Thor, the difference between Apple installing a MobileMe control panel and Symantec or nVidia doing it is they don't do it for software you don't actually have.
The MobileMe ad gets installed in your Control Panel even if you have no possible interest in Mobile Me. And that's pretty much the definition of Malware.
Many people are comparing this to the stealth installation of Safari with a QuickTime update which Apple hastily revised after strong criticism. Is a similar turnaround ahead?
Personally I’m not sure I’d really call it malware but it is pretty stealthy and very similar to the Safari/QuickTime thing. I’m surprised more than annoyed and will be interested to see if the same criticism is levelled at Apple.
While it's frustrating that Apple’s default installation (update) for QuickTime can include Safari and iTunes. I wish that Apple was the only culprit.
JAVA: A few months ago, Java's default installation included a game "Puzzle Pirates" -- now Java tries to install Sun's Open Office with their Java installation / updates.
ADOBE: The Acrobat Reader's default installation includes the Google Toolbar.
REALAUDIO: The media player's default installation includes BOTH the Google Toolbar and Google Desktop Search.
All of these company's installations include “additional” software that is not necessary for the program the end-user is downloading. Additionally, the installation require that the end-user to UNSELECT these default options.
So is it Malware? Not as long as the company can point to some text that says "We told you!"
Is it Sneaky? Yep!
Blake Handler
Microsoft MVP
"The Road to Know Where"
Steve,
It must be frustrating as hell to work for a company whose every move is scrutinized and bashed endlessly because of previous criminal behavior, while other companies are doing far worse and their users love them and their solutions so much that they are willing to look past it.
That ought to be a hard lesson for Microsoft to learn as it does its S+S transition - that when your products are clearly head and shoulders above the rest, people will not nitpick the details. Most of my "open" and "Linux cures all" friends now carry the most proprietary, closed, unhackable device on earth and love every single touch.
-Vlad
Vlad, you're right - it is frustrating as hell but my view is one by one we can change things. it'll take a long time to change long held perceptions and with a product range as wide as ours we'll always be open to criticism as you simply can't please all of those customers all of the time. as long as you're seen to be aiming to I think that goes a long way.
somtimes I wish we were just a small company again doing a few things brilliantly and with few dependencies across the company or outside of the company. then I look at the impact we have and how our software touches so many people and has such a positive impact along with the ecosystem it has created spawning many jobs and making many people happy and wealthy - and then I think it's worth it.
the really great companies take on the biggest of challenges and take a long term approach - that's why i love this company. we step outside of our comfort zone, we screw things up, we do things brilliantly, sometimes we're hard to understand but we're tenacious, ambitious and we love the magic of sofwtare to change lives.
Its malware without a question! Call them on it publicly. Spend some of that $300 million in advertising and say "Hi I'm a PC and my friend Mac here just gave me some malware to chew on". What's fair for the goose is fair for the gander!
Jeff
i hear you jeff but I'd rather not sink to the same level :)