The Rotten Apple

Well, it could be said that Apple has managed to get itself into a mess over the past couple of days.

First, Apple posted an advisory ad telling Mac users to install anti-virus software on their computers.  While most who are “in” with technology took this to heart and called it a wise move, Apple apparently did not like all the attention.

So, it gets better – Apple pulls the advisory.  Afterall, the rather uneducated public, who are also the potential Windows transfers, think (thanks to I’m a PC ads) that Apple computers are virus free.  Since really they are not virus free (20k viruses compared to 100k for Windows), it was a good thing to have in place, and most people should have known that Apple was going to face more viruses as it became more popular.  Instead, Apple calls the document “old” and removed it.  One year old, to be exact.  If it were just “old,” it would be from when Apple products were not used nearly as much, and would be ever more relevant today.

Now, Apple has gotten itself into a little bit more trouble.  There’s a lawsuit (when is there not one going on somewhere?) coming from someone who bought an iPhone and found out it did not perform like advertised in the commercials.  Apple, while cramming their foot in their mouth, said:

“Plaintiff’s claims, and those of the purported class, are barred by the fact that the alleged deceptive statements were such that no reasonable person in Plaintiff’s position could have reasonably relied on or misunderstood Apple’s statements as claims of fact,” Apple’s attorneys wrote.”

That’s real good.  Call your customers fools for believing the iPhone is the best thing out there.  Unfortunately, it’s misleading advertising that caused this mess, which certainly not new to Apple’s marketing department.  Their Mac vs PC ad campaign built on top of the problems of Vista, while overstating the benefits of using a Mac.  If your average viewer saw the ad, they (depending on their general savvy) might believe that the phone performs at the same rate advertised.  Now, in Apple’s defense, I would recommend trying the device before making a purchase.  It really brings reality into focus.