Google’s Eric Schmidt: If you care about security, get a Mac, not a Windows PC

23 Comments

“At the D9 conference today, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt backed Apple in the Mac versus PC debate,” Joel Falconer reports for TNW. “‘You could use a Mac instead of a PC,’ said Schmidt. He said viruses are far less likely to affect Mac users.”

“Schmidt backed the Mac after giving advice about security with Google services,” Falconer reports. “That includes using Google Chrome over other browsers and activating two-factor authentication in Gmail.”

Falconer reports, “Schmidt did mention that he was a former board member at Apple, so one might want to take his advice with a grain of salt — though it’s hard to argue with the facts.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Correct.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “krquet” for the heads up.]

23 Comments

  11. I’m not surprised. Google worked hard to get their desktop systems off of Windows due to concerns, including some employees going to Chrome OS long before it was ready.

    Reply

  12. Think of Android being a leaky boat in the middle of the Atlantic. Water’s rushing in everywhere through myriad holes punched under the waterline. The bilge pumps are working at full speed trying to pump the Atlantic back into the ocean. 

    Then the captain of the boat spots a leaky bathtub bobbing in the water and in a high squeaky voice tries to draw attention from his leaky boat to the bathtub.

    That’s what Schmidt is doing.

    Reply

  13. I find the logical progression of Mr. Schmidt’s comment to be:

    If you care about security, get an iOS device, not an Android device.

    Just yesterday, Google had to pull an additional 25 malware apps from the Android ‘Google Market’. As many as 120,000 people had been infected prior to this malware’s discovery and pulling by Google. Recall that back in March Google had to pull 50+ malware apps from its market. There is NO vetting of apps placed in the Android app markets, whereas Apple vet ALL apps before allowing them into the iTunes Store.

    Despite the irony here, I appreciate it whenever anyone in the computer community points out the facts.

    Taking the opportunity to roast a few trolls:
    Using simply proportional math, it is possible to figure out how many more malware there are for Windows versus Mac when both platforms are considered to have an equal number of users. That number, according to my conservative calculations, is:

    150x
    more malware for Windows than Mac on a per user basis.

    You can read the gory details in my Mac-Security blog article here:

    Anti-Apple Security FUD
    for the last SEVEN and a half years!

    Reply

    2. Since all known Mac malware requires operator stupidity and Mac users are smart or they would be using Windows PCs, why do we need any kind of CPU hogging Mac anti-virus software?

      Reply

  15. I have been fielding an anti-Google grudge since the early 00s. My distaste for Mr. Schmidt dates back before his Apple board stint, and I remember posting my displeasure on that news.

    Anyway, my first reaction to this news was, o no he didn’t. Schmidt is not the person I’d want to recommend products that I care to like. Usually, it has the opposite affect on me. So, in this case.. it made me wonder whether he was trying to ruin my decades long satisfied taste on Macs then.

    In other words, the phrase: “when Schmidt hits the fan,” is not just a silly pun, but it almost takes a literal meaning from where I stand.

    Reply

Reader Feedback

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Tags: , , , ,