Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi on Wednesday is testifying during the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. During questioning from Apple’s lawyers, Federighi noted that the Mac currently has a level of malware that Apple “does not find acceptable.” This, obviously, is in contrast iOS and iPadOS, which offer a comparatively more secure and trusted environment for users.
Federighi also highlighted Google’s “Toxic Hellstew” Android as another example of a platform with multiple avenues for installing sometimes questionable applications that suffers from security problems.
“It’s well understood in the security community that Android has a malware problem,” he explained. “iOS has succeeded so far in staying ahead of the malware problem.”
Federighi’s analogy is that the Mac is like a car: The Mac is a car. You can take it off road if you want and you can drive wherever you want. That’s what you wanted to buy. There’s a certain level of responsibility required. With iOS, you wanted to buy something where children can operate an iOS device and feel safe doing so. It’s really a different product.
When asked if the Mac is a safe platform, Federighi explained that in terms of “PC-class devices” the Mac is “the safest possible:” If operated correctly, much like that car, if you know how to operate a car and obey the rules of the road and are very cautious, yes. If not, I’ve had a couple of family members who have gotten malware on their Macs, but ultimately, I believe a Mac can be operated safely.
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