“Microsoft ended its support of Windows 98 and Millennium Edition (Me) this week, leaving millions of computers that are online right now vulnerable to hackers,” John Bowman reports for CBC News.
MacDailyNews Take: Those (and other) Windows users were never invulnerable to hackers even with full Microsoft “support.”
Bowman continues, “Analysts estimate that there are between 40 million and 70 million computers currently running Windows 98 or Me.”
MacDailyNews Note: For reference, there are approximately 18-20 million Mac OS X users currently.
Bowman continues, “If the choice is between continuing to use an unsafe computer and buying a new one, some users may make the switch to Mac. Computer security company Sophos recently suggested that home users should get a Mac if they wish to avoid infection by malicious software.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This could be a big deal for Apple. For example, if 10% of Win98/Me users get a Mac for their next computer instead of an OS-limited Dell or HP, then Apple will see 4-7 million new Mac OS X users. That would be an increase of 22-39% in the Mac OS X install base alone.
Mac OS X, virus-free for over five years and counting.
By the end of 2005, there were 114,000 known viruses for PCs. In March 2006 alone, there were 850 new threats detected against Windows. Zero for Mac. While no computer connected to the Internet will ever be 100% immune from attack, Mac OS X has helped the Mac keep its clean bill of health with a superior UNIX foundation and security features that go above and beyond the norm for PCs. When you get a Mac, only your enthusiasm is contagious. – Click here to find out more.
Life’s too short. Get a Mac.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
New invisible rootkit hits Windows including Vista – July 17, 2006
Symantec researcher: At this time, there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X – July 13, 2006
Sophos: Apple Mac OS X’s security record unscathed; Windows Vista malware just a matter of time – July 07, 2006
Sophos Security: Dump Windows, Get a Mac – July 05, 2006
Security company Sophos: Apple Mac the best route for security for the masses – December 06, 2005
